Botswana-Overview

Conditions for civic activism in Botswana are healthy but narrowing. Citizens are free to form civil society organisations without undue interference from the state and to peacefully assemble and demonstrate in public. However threats to freedom of expression and independent media are cause for concern. When an article published in September 2014 accused the president of a traffic violation, the journalist was forced to flee to safety in South Africa. In 2015, civil society in Botswana spoke of an ‘intangible state of fear’. In a relatively small country with a population of two million, critical voices are easy to identify and those that speak out are easily targeted. Consequently, many people speak with a measure of caution.