Marianna Belalba leads the Civic Space Research Cluster, which includes the coordination of the Civicus Monitor, an online tool that tracks civic space developments in 197 countries and territories. She holds a law degree from Andrés Bello Catholic University in Caracas, Venezuela and an LL.M. in International Human Rights from the University of Notre Dame in the United States. Marianna has worked for over a decade for human rights organizations in the areas of research and strategic litigation, particularly on matters relating to freedom of expression and access to information.