CIVICUS discusses a recently passed law regulating civil society organisations (CSOs) in Paraguay with Marta Ferrara and Olga Caballero, executive directors of Semillas para la Democracia (Seeds for Democracy) and Alma Cívica (Civic Soul), two of the organisations leading the civil society response to the closing of civic space.
On 9 October, Paraguay’s Congress passed a law on the ‘control, transparency and accountability of nonprofit organisations’. The law gives the government the power to impose excessive controls on CSOs and punish non-compliance with sanctions that include closure of offending organisations and lengthy disqualifications for their directors. Paraguayan civil society says this jeopardises the independence of CSOs and their ability to act in pursuit of their legitimate objectives. It’s calling on the president to veto the bill.
