CIVICUS Monitor: Timor-Leste is the most free country in Southeast Asia

The CIVICUS Monitor announced in a new report Wednesday that it has upgraded Timor-Leste's civic space to ‘narrowed’ in its annual ratings in recognition of the country’s respect for fundamental freedoms. Timor-Leste is thus a rare example of a country where citizens’ rights are expanding rather than shrinking.

The report, People Power Under Attack 2023, details civic space conditions in 198 countries and territories. In Timor-Leste, the findings show reporters were able to report freely without harassment in 2023. Likewise, there were no reports of restrictions on public political gatherings during general elections in May, despite laws which allow some government interference. Further, the electoral process itself was open and pluralistic with 17 political parties represented on the ballot.

"Timor-Leste is doing it right,” said Josef Benedict, Asia-Pacific researcher for CIVICUS. “Other Southeast Asian countries who restrict citizens’ rights to organise, speak out and protest should emulate their neighbour Timor-Leste instead.”

The CIVICUS Monitor rates each country's civic space conditions based on data collected throughout the year from country-focused civil society activists, regionally-based research teams, international human rights indices and the Monitor's own in-house experts. The data from these four separate sources are then combined to assign each country a rating as either ‘open,’ ‘narrowed,’ ‘obstructed,’ ‘repressed’ or ‘closed.’

Timor-Leste’s upgrade from ‘obstructed’ to ‘narrowed’ puts it on par with Australia, France, Japan and the United States, where freedoms of assembly, association and expression are allowed, though there are occasional violations of these rights.

This year’s upgrade has been a long time coming. After independence in 2002, the country made steady progress to respect human rights after the disastrous Indonesian occupation. The enabling environment for civil society and the absence of significant rights violations boosted Timor-Leste’s rating.

“For a young country, Timor-Leste has made great strides to ensure civil society activists and journalists can carry out their work,” said Benedict. “This upgrade is a reason to celebrate how far Timor-Leste has come.”

Timor-Leste’s progress is more impressive given the civic space situation across the rest of Southeast Asia. The CIVICUS Monitor rates eight regional countries–Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam–as either ‘repressed’ or ‘closed,’ among the most severely restricted. The others–Malaysia and Indonesia–are rated ‘obstructed,’ meaning authorities often hinder people’s full enjoyment of their rights.

Globally, Timor-Leste goes against an even more dire trend. This year, the CIVICUS Monitor found that nearly a third of humanity, or 30.6% of people, lives in ‘closed’ countries, the most restrictive possible environments. This is the highest percentage in ‘closed’ countries since the CIVICUS Monitor’s first report in 2018.

Meanwhile, only 2.1% of the global population lives in ‘open’ countries, where civic space is not only free but protected, the lowest percentage since 2018. Together, these statistics point to a world in crisis.

“We are witnessing an unprecedented global crackdown on civic space,” said CIVICUS Monitor lead researcher Ms. Barreto. “Timor-Leste is a rare case of good news.”

Still, Timor-Leste can do more. The government should revise its Media Law to be in line with international standards and amend its Law on Freedom of Assembly and Demonstration to fully enshrine the right to peaceful assembly. Lawmakers should also not introduce legislation restricting offline or online expression.

“What Timor-Leste has done is remarkable, especially considering the region,” said Benedict. “But we encourage the country’s leaders to keep going to fully protect their citizens’ hard-won rights.”

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact: media@civicus.org