Contents Executive summary 4 List of abbreviations 5 Definition of terms 6 Introduction 7 International human rights standards 8 The right to freedom of expression in the context of a pandemic 10 Covid-19 and freedom of expression in the sadc region 11 Harassment and intimidation of journalists and assaults 13 Covid-19 and disinformation 15 Government responses to disinformation in the sadc region 17 Analysis of the disinformation regulations 19 Impact on freedom of expression 22 The role of fact checkers and media monitoring services in countering disinformation 22 The role of fact checkers and media monitoring services in countering disinformation 24 Media and information literacy 28 Recommendations 28 Conclusion 30