The Role of Civil Society Organizations in Resisting Autocratization

The role of Civil Society in resisting autocratization
The functioning of the independent civil sector is one of the foundations of a well-functioning democratic state. In addition to other guiding principles of democracy, such as: the rule of law, the tripartition of power, independence of the judiciary from other organs and institutions of state power, it is the freedom of association realized within the organization of the third sector that gives citizens the opportunity to act in various areas of public life, shaping socio-political reality and taking responsibility for the fate of the local, regional or national community. On the other hand, it is also visible that the role of civil society has been changed through last years due to the processes of de-democratization/autocratization in which authorities want to take control over non-governmental sector that represent citizens and fight against inequality, injustice and violations freedoms and rights. The aim of the panel is to look deeper at the role of civil society in the specific time. The panel will try to answer the following questions:
- What are the challenges and threats for CSOs in the time of crisis?
- What kind of activities are taken by CSOs to stop the process of backsliding democracy?
- What kind of strategies CSOs introduce to adapt to the new conditions?
- What legal changes have been introduced into the system to limit the functioning of the CSOs in a specific states?