Media: The Media Act and the new Constitution have provisions for freedom of press and expression, however, according to the Association of Press Freedom Activists (APFA) the legal framework does not 'adequately incorporate' those freedoms, as it does not provide protection for journalists or guarantees freedom of information. The National Security Act prohibits criticism of the King and the political system. According to Freedom House 2008, the state-owned newspaper Kuensel was the only newspaper in the country until 2006, when two independent newspapers - Bhutan Times and Daily Observer - were allowed in the country. The media is not free from censorship and in 2007 the government blocked the websites of Bhutan Times and Bhutan Daily under the allegation that their posts threatened the sovereignty of the kingdom. Reporters Without Borders 2010 ranks Bhutan 64th out of 178 countries, while Freedom House 2010 ranks the country 121st out of 196 countries and describes its press environment as 'partly free'.

Civil Society: Freedom of Assembly and Association are provided for by the new constitution; however, according to Freedom House 2010, those rights are quite restricted. Associations are only permitted for groups 'not harmful to the peace and unity of the country' and protest are only authorised if the government agrees with its purpose. According to the Bertelsmann Foundation 2010, civil society in Bhutan is weak; nonetheless, it is steadily increasing its participation in the political debate. A few NGOs, which focus on gender, education and environmental issues are operating within the country. There are no NGOs working with political issues, such as human rights and corruption, as they are not allowed to operate in the country. According to the US Department of State 2009, some local CSOs practise self-censorship in order to avoid conflict with the government.