Freedom House

Since the coronavirus outbreak began, the condition of democracy and human rights has grown worse in 80 countries. The problem is particularly acute in struggling democracies and highly repressive states – countries which generally already had weak safeguards against abuse of power.

The Chinese government imposed sanctions on 11 Americans, which included legislators and leaders of IFEX members Human Rights Watch and Freedom House for their advocacy on Hong Kong’s democratic rights.

Freedom House said the repressive legislation was drafted in secret and published just an hour before taking effect.

Freedom House said many provisions in the proposed law would endanger democracy advocates, civic activists, and journalists, as well as many members of religious and ethnic minority groups in Hong Kong.

Despite China’s notorious censorship regime, netizens have found ingenious ways to share COVID-19 information, organize help during the lockdown, and express outrage over the government’s handling of the crisis.

Freedom House identified the Chinese government as the world’s worst abuser of internet freedom.

An international mission comprised of 17 international organizations underscores its concern regarding the lack of guarantees offered by the Mexican state to solve the country’s grave freedom of expression crisis and the state’s failure to recognize the seriousness of the problem.

“On social media, propaganda works better than censorship… Authoritarians around the globe are exploiting both human nature and computer algorithms to conquer the ballot box, running roughshod over rules designed to ensure free and fair elections”.