Global freedom recedes for 18th year: Watchdog

Global freedom has receded for the 18th consecutive year, according to a report released Thursday by American nonprofit Freedom House.

“Global freedom declined for the 18th consecutive year in 2023. The breadth and depth of the deterioration were extensive,” Freedom House said in the report. “Political rights and civil liberties were diminished in 52 countries, while only 21 countries made improvements. Flawed elections and armed conflict contributed to the decline, endangering freedom and causing severe human suffering.”

In a press release on the report, Freedom House President Michael J. Abramowitz said global freedom “took a big step backward in 2023.”

“The world faces another crucial test in 2024, as billions of people head to the polls and multiple armed conflicts—including in the Sahel, Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus, and the Middle East—continue to violate people’s basic rights,” Abramowitz continued. “If democracies do not respond to these challenges, more of the global population will be denied fundamental liberties in the years ahead, ultimately affecting peace, prosperity, security, and freedom for everyone.“

The report stated that the “deterioration” of global freedom affected one-fifth of the global population. It also said a “downturn in rights was driven by attacks on pluralism — the peaceful coexistence of people with different political ideas, religions, or ethnic identities — that harmed elections and sowed violence.”

“These intensifying assaults on a core feature of democracy reinforce the urgent need to support the groups and individuals, including human rights defenders and journalists, who are on the front lines of the struggle for freedom worldwide,” the report continued.

The report comes as democracy has become a focal point in the 2024 U.S. presidential election. In its first advertisement of 2024, President Biden’s reelection campaign focused on the idea of preserving democracy.

The ad, narrated by the president, claims that Republican front-runner former President Trump has made efforts to “erode American democracy and excuse — and even promote — political violence.”

“I’ve made the preservation of American democracy an essential issue of my presidency,” Biden said in the ad. “Now, something dangerous is happening in America. There’s an extremist movement that does not share the basic beliefs in our democracy.”