THE outpouring of grief at Asma Jahangir’s sudden death is a vivid tribute to her lifelong struggle for democracy, decency and defence of human rights.

Asma’s legacy is not just confined to South Asia, however. Her story of courage, stubbornness and speaking truth to power resonates among civil society activists and democracy defenders across the world.

It is a hard fight. And it is getting more difficult by the day. Civil society activists are under pressure in many parts of the world, their pursuit of dignity and equal rights-for-all clashing with governments’ determination to silence dissent and “disobedience”.

The list of governments frightened by the voice and passion of their own citizens is shamefully long. Their repression can take the shape of state crackdowns, intimidation by “secret services”, carefully orchestrated “targeted killings”, disappearances of activists and government bans on travel.

The free press is muzzled. Minorities face discrimination, women are brutalised and abused, LGBT people are stigmatised. The vulnerable are bullied and exploited. Some governments fear their own citizens more than they do foreign armies.

But the discrimination and clamp downs can be more insidious. Asma’s enemies derided her as “Western”, “secular” and “pro-Indian”. Similar accusations are launched against critics by other Muslim nations, reinforcing the misperception that Islam believes only in the rights of rulers, not of citizens.

It’s a strange and topsy-turvy world where any attempt to expose the plight of the poor and disenfranchised is considered unpatriotic and when standing up against brutality, intolerance and bad governance is condemned, not applauded.

Russia, China, Iran and Saudi Arabia are known for their harsh disregard for the rights of dissidents. Sadly, the landscape is darkening even in nations which were once considered fairly safe for activists.

India fell three spots on the World Press Freedom Index to 136 in 2017, because of growing self-censorship and acts by Hindu nationalists trying to purge “anti-nationalist” thought, according to the watchdog group Reporters Without Borders.

In Southeast Asia, the human rights situation in the Philippines has deteriorated rapidly under President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-drug campaign.

In Myanmar, the military’s ethnic cleansing operations against the Rohingya Muslims show no signs of abating although over half a million Rohingya have had to flee their community, becoming refugees in Myanmar’s neighbouring states, including Thailand and Bangladesh.

US President Donald Trump’s assault on non-discrimination and equal justice at home and his “bromance” with the world’s strongmen goes hand in hand with worldwide cutbacks in US support for human rights, the rule of law, and good governance, damaging the overarching credibility of the United States.

“Threats, physical and verbal attacks against activists” are also becoming the norm in parts of Europe, according to the EU’s Fundamental Rights Agency.

There are “smear campaigns” and legal and regulatory changes that negatively impact on civil society, such as freedom of assembly restrictions which can often be the by-product of counterterrorism laws, warns a report by the Agency.

Shrinking budgets and increased difficulties in getting funding are additional problems. At important moments, there is a lack of appropriate involvement of civil society in lawmaking.

The European Commission has launched unprecedented disciplinary proceedings against Poland in response to Warsaw’s controversial judicial reforms which undercut the independence of Polish courts.

Freedom House, the independent democracy watchdog, has warned that Hungary is seeing “increasing intimidation of civil society groups and the opposition, which has left citizens more reluctant to speak out on political topics”.

The EU cannot afford to let such infringements of basic freedoms go unpunished. As Michel Forst, the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights defenders, recently said, many other countries, including Congo and Israel point at recent laws in Hungary and Poland to justify their own regulations which may curb the independence of non-governmental organisations.

Europe’s treatment of refugee and asylum seekers also leaves it open to criticism by repressive governments.

The EU is funding a range of initiatives from the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights. Emergency support is quickly channelled to human rights defenders at high risk. EU delegations’ capacity has been enhanced through human rights focal points and human rights defenders liaison officers that are charged with helping to protect vulnerable groups and individuals.

The EU’s human rights special representative has also increasingly addressed the shrinking space challenge in his bilateral meetings and in international organisations.

Regular consultations and discussions take place with civil society representatives as part of the EU’s relations with Africa, the Middle East and Asia.

These initiatives are welcome and important. But they are still too-often an after-thought, a last-minute add-on to the more important talks with governments. Civil society activists have trouble getting visas to travel to Europe. Their participation in EU-sponsored events is often barred by governments.

But as experience of the so-called “Arab Spring” has shown, listening only to governments while failing to interact with students, activists, members of parliaments and business leaders can lead to the formulation of flawed policies.

As the US retreats from the global stage, European support for those fighting for human dignity will become ever more important.

Asma is no longer there to stir our conscience. Keeping her legacy alive is important — not only for those continuing her struggle in Pakistan but for many others across the world who share her dedication and her passion.

—The writer is Dawn’s correspondent in Brussels

Published in Dawn, February 17th, 2018