Freedom House Report: Democracy Declining Worldwide

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - Democracy is declining worldwide, with results visible not only in authoritarian regimes like China, Russia, and Iran, but also in countries with a long tradition of preserving fundamental rights and freedoms.

And while protests in every region of the world indicate people's widespread need for better governance, they have yet to reverse the trend of declining freedoms, concludes this year's Freedom House 2020 report, the latest edition of the 'Freedom in the World 2020' report on political rights and civil liberties in 210 countries and territories worldwide, reports CdM.

"The report clearly shows that, again, democracy is in decline. Political and civil rights are threatened, both in free societies and in oppressive ones. It is possible to reverse this trend, but it will require joint efforts of governments, pressure from the people, and partnership from the business community," says Freedom House Director Mike Abramowitz.

The percentage of free countries has fallen by three percent in the last ten years, while the percentage of countries designated as partly free or not free has increased by two and one percent, respectively.

Rise of Negative Trends

Of the 195 countries in the world, 83 countries are designated as free, 63 countries as partly free, and for 49 countries and territories worldwide, Freedom House concludes they are not free. Among the worst are Syria, South Sudan, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Libya, and others.

The Western Balkan countries continue to be on the list of those with partial freedom. Only Croatia is characterized as a free country.

The gap between setbacks and successes has widened compared to 2018 due to the deterioration of political rights and civil liberties experienced by individuals in 64 countries, while, on the other hand, progress has been recorded in 37 countries. These negative trends have been identified in all types of regimes, according to the Freedom House report.

Minority Rights Threatened

Countries that experienced a step backward during 2019 outnumber those that experienced successes. In addition, a global erosion of pluralism has been recorded worldwide. Ethnic, religious, and other minority groups have borne the brunt of state abuse in both democratic and authoritarian states.

The two largest examples of minority rights violations have been identified in China, where the regime's multi-year campaign against the Uyghur minority has been recorded, and in India, which has recorded the biggest decline among democratic countries.

India has long been seen as a potential counterweight to China, but the alarming deviations, writes Freedom House, of the current Indian government from democratic norms are blurring the distinction between Beijing and New Delhi.

The revocation of the autonomous status of Jammu and Kashmir, discriminatory citizenship law, aggressive protest suppression tactics are part of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's nationalist policies.

New Citizenship Law Threatens Secularism in India

As a result of all this, Indian Kashmir, which is specifically assessed in the Freedom House report, experienced one of the five biggest declines in just one year, and the country's territorial status has fallen from partly free to not free.

Democratic processes in the United States are also threatened, according to the Freedom House report. While the US position on the list remained the same last year, its status has fallen by eight points in the last ten years.

Worrying signs last year included changes to rules that weakened the rights of asylum seekers, new evidence of interference in the electoral system, and conflicts between Congress and the executive branch.

Defiance of congressional authorities was at the center of the impeachment process of US President Donald Trump, who ordered current and former officials not to respond to congressional summonses to testify in the case of his alleged attempt to exert political pressure on Ukraine. At the same time, the US administration sent contradictory messages about the deterioration of democratic institutions and respect for human rights.

Senate Acquits Trump of Charges

"India and the United States are the largest and perhaps most influential democracies in the world, and their deviation from the ideas of liberal democracy sends the wrong message," said Mike Abramowitz, president of Freedom House.

"If major democratic powers do not provide strong examples and constructive leadership, it will be impossible to reverse global trends that threaten the freedom of all societies."

The biggest changes according to Freedom House measurements were recorded in African countries. Sudan, Madagascar, and Ethiopia recorded progress towards reforms and democratic governance, while Benin, Mozambique, and Tanzania experienced problematic elections and state repression.

The biggest decline in freedoms was recorded in Turkey, Venezuela, Hungary, Azerbaijan, Yemen, Serbia with twelve points, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, and other countries.

Harassment and Intimidation in Serbia and Montenegro

The principles of liberal democracy in Europe, traditionally a part of the world that usually has the best freedom measurement results according to Freedom House, have been under serious pressure in recent years.

Populist leaders and parties in Europe continued their attacks on independent institutions last year. In the Czech Republic, the dismissal of the Minister of Justice and concerns that Prime Minister Andrej Babiš is trying to block criminal charges for alleged misuse of European Union funds led to the largest protests in the country since 1989. Far-right parties made electoral gains in Estonia.

In Montenegro and Serbia, journalists, opposition politicians, and others considered enemies of the authorities face constant harassment, intimidation, and even violence. Public frustration with entrenched ruling parties has escalated into large protests in both countries, but, as Freedom House writes, they have not managed to bring about significant changes.

North Macedonia held presidential elections that helped repair the anti-democratic legacy of former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski. Elections in Kosovo led to Self-Determination entering the government, where they have the opportunity to fight corruption.

One of the most striking examples of oppression recorded last year is China's treatment of the Muslim Uyghur minority.

Mass violations of the fundamental freedoms of millions of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in that part of the world, first recorded in 2017, continued last year, with hundreds of thousands of people sentenced to prison or detained, forced labor, and the confinement of Muslim children in state boarding schools. Beijing claimed last December that it had abolished mass detentions, but evidence from government documents and testimonies from victims' families suggest otherwise.