Prosecuting Watchdogs as Political Tool

A rising pattern: governments and prosecutors bring criminal or civil enforcement actions against prominent advocacy and watchdog nonprofits to undercut their funding, reputation, and political influence. Such prosecutions—whether merited or selective—create chilling effects on dissent, alter media narratives about opponents, and incentivize donors and platforms to withdraw support. — If prosecutions of advocacy groups become more common, they will reshape the nonprofit sector, chill investigative and civil‑rights work, and turn legal offices into battlegrounds of political contestation.