The politics of fear and the suppression of Indigenous language activism in Asia: Prospects for the United Nations’ Decade of Indigenous Languages

This article discusses how state suppression of human rights activism and restrictions on civil society are likely to impact the implementation United Nations’ International Decade Indigenous Languages (2022–2032, hereafter “the Decade”). We focus China, India, Indonesia, three most populous linguistically diverse countries in Asia. Drawing a range reports from organizations materials academic literature, we argue that increasing attacks defenders pose serious challenges these countries. situate this argument within broader debates about advocacy repression, draw Guzel Yusupova’s arguments politics fear minority language mobilization suggest intensifying repression is prevent new forms emerging during Decade.