Global Report: 'Sovereignty-Type Laws' Shrinking Civic Space, Silencing Artists

Artistic freedom is under significant pressure globally, with artists facing censorship, arrest, violence, and displacement, according to Freemuse’s State of Artistic Freedom 2026 report, titled “Courage is Contagious: Art Under Fire.” The report highlights two major crises: ongoing armed conflicts that devastate cultural life and democratic decline, which provides governments with new legal tools to stifle criticism.

Governments are increasingly employing tactics such as foreign agent laws, counter-terrorism measures, blasphemy and morality codes, and funding restrictions to silence artists. These “sovereignty-type laws” are particularly noted for shrinking civic space and creating an environment of fear. Artists and cultural institutions in conflict zones are directly targeted, while elsewhere, a rise in nationalism, religious extremism, and political polarization fuels repression.

The report identifies eight trends contributing to this crisis, including the impact of war on artists and heritage, the use of security rhetoric for censorship, the criminalization of expression through various laws, heightened repression of women and LGBTI+ artists, and growing pressure from non-state actors.

Despite the challenges, artists are demonstrating resilience, using music, film, satire, and legal avenues to resist. However, funding cuts to civil society organizations have weakened their capacity to monitor and address these abuses. The report underscores the critical importance of defending artistic freedom in the face of these mounting global pressures.

Source: Daily Monitor (Uganda)