A growing body of literature focuses on restrictions imposed on the space for civil society, or civic space. Recent research has noted that over the past decade, states have expanded their repertoire of legal and extra-legal measures to curtail the freedoms of association, expression and assembly. Although time-series data show that the state apparatus continues to be the primary perpetrator of restrictions on civil society organisations (CSOs) and activists, increasing evidence suggests that non-state actors (NSAs) also play a relevant role in restricting civic space. A broad and heterogeneous category, NSAs include paramilitary forces, private corporate security, criminal gangs and religious fundamentalist groups, among others. This article analyses civic space restrictions driven by a specific type of NSA, that of so-called ‘anti-rights groups’. Research conclusions suggest that this distinct set of actors, which usually cultivates close links to the state, is increasingly playing an understudied role in restricting human rights CSOs.

中文翻译：

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内敌？反权利团体和对公民社会的限制

越来越多的文献关注对公民社会或公民空间的空间施加的限制。最近的研究指出，在过去十年中，各国扩大了其法律和法外措施的范围，以限制结社、言论和集会自由。尽管时间序列数据表明，国家机器仍然是限制公民社会组织 (CSO) 和活动家的主要肇事者，但越来越多的证据表明，非国家行为者 (NSA) 在限制公民空间方面也发挥了相关作用。国家安全局是一个广泛而异类的类别，包括准军事部队、私营企业安全、犯罪团伙和宗教原教旨主义团体等。本文分析了由特定类型的 NSA 驱动的公民空间限制，即所谓的“反权利团体”。