The CIVICUS Monitor is an online platform that tracks developments affecting civic freedoms, including the freedoms of expression, association, and peaceful assembly, across 198 countries and territories. The organisation said this rating indicates severe restrictions on the freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly and association. It cites an April 2026 protest by factory workers in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, over low wages and poor working conditions. The report says restrictions on civic freedoms remain especially acute in Jammu and Kashmir. It describes the Watchlist as part of the CIVICUS Monitor, which tracks developments affecting civic freedoms across 198 countries and territories.