Freedom House 2023 report: Nigeria’s voter suppression highlights fall in global freedom  

• Only 20% of world’s people live in free countries

• As Nigeria’s voter suppression cases reverberate, country came 43 on 100-point scale, partly free on press freedom

With wide reports of voter suppression and armed attacks against voters in Nigeria’s February 25 presidential and national assembly and the March 18 governorship and state houses of assembly elections still seething, a new Freedom House report has revealed ‘global freedom’ declined for the 17th consecutive year in 2022, as 35 countries suffered deterioration in their political rights and civil liberties.

Widespread condemnation continues to trail the conduct and outcomes of the two elections held almost one month apart with reported incidents of violence, ballot box snatching and prevention of tens of thousands of voters from carrying out their civic responsibilities.

The 50th edition of ‘Freedom in the World’, an annual report of the global non-partisan outfit, also finds that attacks on freedom of expression have been a key driver of democratic erosion.

A total of 34 countries made improvements during the year, however, meaning the gap between the numbers of countries that improved and declined was the narrowest it has ever been since the negative pattern began. The report suggests that the struggle for democracy may be approaching a turning point, and offers recommendations on how democratic governments and societies should work together to roll back authoritarian gains.

The new report titled, “Freedom in the World 2023: Marking 50 Years in the Struggle for Democracy”—is the 50th edition of Freedom House’s annual global assessment of political rights and civil liberties.

Moscow’s war of aggression in Ukraine, as well as coups and other attacks on democratic institutions in Brazil, Burkina Faso, Peru, and Tunisia, contributed to the overall decline in 2022, the report said.

However, positive developments included competitive elections in Latin America and Africa, and the reversal of COVID-19-related restrictions in eight countries that had disproportionately infringed on the freedoms of assembly and movement.

“As of today, 39 percent of the world’s people live in countries rated Not Free, while only 20 percent live in Free countries. The struggle for freedom endures across generations,” said Michael J. Abramowitz, president of Freedom House.

Abramowitz said for 50 years, Freedom in the World has tracked the health of political rights and civil liberties around the globe.

“This latest edition documents a continuation of troubling trends, but it also gives some reason to hope that the freedom recession of the past 17 years may be turning a corner. There is nothing inevitable about authoritarian expansion. While authoritarian regimes remain extremely dangerous, they are not unbeatable.

The year’s events showed that missteps by autocrats provide openings for democratic forces. And over the course of five decades, people from every region of the world have repeatedly challenged oppression and demanded freedom, even in the face of daunting odds and at great personal risk,” the Freedom House president said.

The report equally finds that one of the biggest drivers of democratic decline over the last 17 years has been a trend of attacks on freedom of expression.

Additionally, the number of countries and territories that receive a score of 0 out of 4 on the report’s media freedom indicator has increased from 14 to 33 since 2005. Media freedom came under pressure in at least 157 countries and territories during 2022. Beyond the news media, individuals’ right to personal expression has also come under assault. Fifteen countries and territories now have a score of 0 out of 4 on that indicator, up from six in 2005. People in such environments have virtually no freedom to voice anti-government opinions, even in private, without fear of reprisal.

“Freedom of expression is under attack around the globe,” said Yana Gorokhovskaia, the report’s co-author and Freedom House’s research director for strategy and design.

Gorokhovskaia said, “Denying press freedom and the freedom of personal expression cuts citizens off from accurate information and from one another, strengthening authoritarian control.

Democracies must fiercely guard these rights at home and vigorously work to defend them abroad, in part by supporting public-interest media and journalists who have been forced into exile. They should also strictly regulate the use of surveillance tools and protect robust encryption technology, which is vital for the safety of activists, journalists, and ordinary users everywhere.”

Checks by Business A.M. across 210 countries’ freedom rankings showed that Nigeria comes with 43 score on 100-point scale, and a remark of “fairly free” on press freedom against countries like Rwanda, Burundi, Ghana that got well above 80.

Key report findings showed that Moscow’s war of aggression led to devastating human rights atrocities in Ukraine. New coups and other attempts to undermine representative government destabilised Burkina Faso, Tunisia, Peru, and Brazil. Previous years’ coups and ongoing repression continued to diminish basic liberties in Guinea and constrain those in Turkey, Myanmar, and Thailand, among others.

Burkina Faso, one of West Africa’s coup-awash flashpoints, with two coups in 2022, earned the largest score decline. The country lost a total of 23 points on the report’s 100-point scale, followed by Ukraine, which lost 11 points as a result of Moscow’s destructive invasion. The year’s other major declines occurred in Tunisia (−8), Nicaragua (−4), Guinea (−4), El Salvador (−3), Hungary (−3), Mali (−3), Russia (−3), and Solomon Islands (−3). Two countries suffered downgrades in their overall freedom status: Peru moved from Free to Partly Free, and Burkina Faso moved from Partly Free to Not Free.

Freedom House said, the fight for freedom persists across decades. In its first edition of its global survey in 1973, 44 of 148 countries—30 percent—were rated Free. Today, 84 of 195 countries—43 percent—are Free. Over the past 50 years, consolidated democracies have not only emerged from deeply repressive environments but also proven to be remarkably resilient in the face of new challenges.