Democracy under Lockdown: The Impact of COVID-19 on the Global Struggle for Freedom

In this article, the latest report published by Freedom House in relation to the response that governments are giving to the health crisis caused by COVID-19 is analysed.

Based on a GQR survey of 398 journalists, civil society workers, activists, and other experts, as well as on a direct research on 192 countries by Freedom House's global network of analysts, the report reveals a degradation of democracy during the pandemic due to the abuse of power by some governments by silencing critical voices, weakening or closing institutions that should have played a leading role during the health crisis, including the commission of public health accountability of irregularities.

The research supports the hypothesis that Freedom House holds in previous reports about the progressive decline in democratic rights and freedom over the past 14 years, and that the pandemic, far from reducing such degradation, would be deepening it negatively. 

Analysts focus on countries that had weak safeguards prior to the health crisis and that, based on the research, democratic conditions have been degraded (in red).

The report highlights Sri Lanka's experience as an illustration of a major global trends. The government intensified efforts to control the publication of independent and unfavourable reports, arresting anyone who contradicted the official statement on the coronavirus. Early elections were called but, as the contagion accelerated, they were postponed beyond the constitutional deadlines for the extension of the legislature, weakening controls over the executive. The report also states that authorities also used health concerns as a pretext for human rights abuses, especially against the Muslim minority population in this country.

The report underline the concern regarding the difficulty of revering the extraordinary measures taken by the governments within three to five years, once the effects of the pandemic are overcome. It also points out the risk of the sophistication of technological surveillance that some countries use to detect messages against the regime and to pursue potential critics, even among the national elite.

Facing this negative effect, Freedom House highlights the emergence of a citizen mobilization that protests demanding truthful information, public accountability and the undertaking of political reforms.

Despite quarantines, curfews, and lockdowns, many people are still taking the streets to challenge their governments, revealing that the global pattern of mass protests that emerged in 2019 has continued. Although 158 countries have had new restrictions imposed on protests, Freedom House researchers identified significant protests in at least 90 countries since the outbreak began. These protests took place in 39% of the free countries, 60% of the partially free countries, and 43% of the non-free countries under review.

At least one-third of the countries in each region experienced a significant protest, and up to two-thirds had protests in some regions. The large number of demonstrations in all types of regimes and in all regions of the world shows that even as governments seek to take advantage of the crisis to strengthen their own positions, people will continue to challenge them.

The report highlights the important work of journalism in building trust in a context of misinformation and continuing contradiction between supposedly official sources.

As per the graph above, surveys show that the level of trust in the media (56%) during the pandemic exceeded the one in local governments (43%) as well as  in national governments (37%). 

If the work of journalists and mobilized civil society itself has been important in this period, the work of courts and legislators is proving to be fundamental in exercising an effective separation of powers in defence against rights abuses and freedom of excluded minorities.

The Report concludes that freedom is fragile and requires constant care by the entire community. Democracy advocates must support each other around the world to ensure that government abuses are exposed and corrected. This would lead to the strengthening of stronger democratic institutions in extraordinary situations.