Human rights violations and corruption are widespread at all levels in all countries that share a Soviet past and some of their neighbors in Eurasia region. Not only the political opponents of regimes, critics, human rights defenders, journalists, but also ordinary citizens who try to fight against violations of their rights and resist corruption face brutal reprisals and suppression by the authorities, who have the repressive state apparatus, law enforcement agencies, secret service and judiciary at their disposal to suppress dissent.
