Freedom House 2021 Report out, covering 2020 and a bit of 2021

[WMS]

I guess these things aren’t as exciting anymore

And before I hear from the two-headed hydra of horseshoe theory on how Freedom House is a horribly biased rightist/leftist/imperialist/etc organization, shush, they can be mistaken but the evidence for current bias is pretty weak,

Link

I’ll just hit the changes big enough to move points on the classic 1-7 scale:

Belize: Civil Liberties from 2 to 1, this is great news. Don’t know why yet.

Bhutan: Political Rights from 3 to 2, this is good news. Don’t know why yet.

Brazil: Civil Liberties from 2 to 3, this is not good news. Bolonosaro in general, I suspect.

Chile: Civil Liberties from 2 to 1, excellent news! Likely the new constitution.

Comoros: Political Rights from 4 to 5, bad news. Likely further authoritarianism from the autocrat who seized power a few years back.

Cote d’Ivoire: Political Rights from 4 to 5, bad news. Apparently from the President winning an illegal third term in a rigged election.

Georgia: Political Rights from 3 to 4, not good, we have a thread on this explaining things.

Honduras: Civil Liberties from 4 to 5, bad news, not surprised but not sure what in particular was behind this.

India: Civil Liberties from 3 to 4, and a decline from Free to Partly Free. All BJP stuff, and a huge blow to world freedom.

Jordan: Political Rights from 5 to 6, and a decline from Partly Free to Not Free. Regime authoritarianism.

Kosovo: Political Rights from 3 to 4, bad of course and apparently related to electoral and legal shenanigans.

Kyrgyzstan: Political Rights from 5 to 7, Civil Liberties from 4 to 5, Partly Free to Not Free. In a development I missed, the last light in Central Asia (Mongolia is technically East Asia, shush) was extinguished as first there were fraudulent elections followed by a crime boss taking over the protests and overthrowing the government, installing himself as President and busily rewriting the constitution to be like its neighbors. Sh!t.

Lithuania: Civil Liberties from 1 to 2. Not the right direction. Not certain why but I suspect there’s an answer on the Forum.

Madagascar: Civil Liberties from 3 to 4, not good. Not sure why, hope they’re not shutting everything downsliding back into authoritarianism.

Mali: Political Rights from 5 to 6, from Partly Free to Not Free, another f****** coup. This was once such a success story.

Mexico: Civil Liberties from 3 to 4, not good. Not sure why but probably related to authoritarianism of AMLO and MORENA.

Moldova: Civil Liberties from 4 to 3, hey in the right direction! There’s a thread on this so it’s OP might know why.

Montenegro: Political Rights from 4 to 3, right direction I think, opposition won power in elections.

Northern Cyprus: Political Rights from 2 to 3, not the right direction. Turkey interfered in the Presidential Election. This is an ominous sign for the only Free Turks left.

Panama: Political Rights from 1 to 2, wrong direction, don’t know why the change.

Peru: Political Rights from 2 to 3, from Free to Partly Free. Obviously not good, there’s a thread on the political turmoil behind this.

Seychelles: Political Rights from 3 to 2, from Partly Free to Free. The opposition took power in an election for the first time ever, and this is the first Free rating for here. Congratulations!

Slovakia: Civil Liberties from 2 to 1, excellent! There’s a great thread on Slovakia go read it and maybe the OP knows what good thing happened there last year in particular.

Somaliland: Political Rights from 5 to 4, yay! I think they settled their political crisis of the previous year with minimal or no bloodshed, again. They’re no liberal democracy, but compared to Somalia at 7,7 how in the f*** the International Community™️ keeps refusing to recognize them and insisting they unify with Somalia and actually thinks this is a good idea is beyond me.

St. Kitts and Nevis: Political Rights from 1 to 2, not the right direction, no idea what’s behind it.

Suriname: Civil Liberties from 3 to 2, good news. Desi Bourtase out of power again.

Thailand: Political Rights from 6 to 7, Civil Liberties from 4 to 5, Partly Free to Not Free. Military crackdown on opposition. Threads on this.

Ukraine: Civil Liberties from 3 to 4, not good. Apparently things got worse this year. Excellent thread on that.

United States: Civil Liberties from 1 to 2. First time US has had a 2,2 rating ever.  Trump.

Vietnam: Civil Liberties from 5 to 6. Quite bad. Don’t know the particulars but likely increased authoritarianism versus the flickers of opposition.

Zimbabwe: Political Rights from 5 to 6, Partly Free to Not Free, increased authoritarianism versus opposition.

[Saruku]

Bias is not as much of a problem as the reductionist concept of "freedom" that they, and all liberals, use.

[WMS]

Bias is not as much of a problem as the reductionist concept of "freedom" that they, and all liberals, use.

Yup, exactly as expected. I personally use multiple indexes of freedom because while there is a general agreement on what freedom is, there are different measuring sticks. But Wikipedia has all that already. This is focused on one index to see what people say about the individual ratings.

[beesley]

Freedom House is a joke and have worse ratings than the Cook Political Report, but the ratings changes are interesting.

[CumbrianLefty]

And in the case of a few (notably India) quite correct and even long overdue.

[Middle-aged Europe]

America has got the Political Rights score of Tunisia, the Civil Liberties score of Samoa, and the total score of Romania and Panama: https://freedomhouse.org/countries/freedom-world/scores

Jesus Christ. Well, Trumpists did try to fix the election results and when this didn't work out attempted to overthrow Congress. What goes around comes around.

[WMS]

To follow up on my earlier comment about there being multiple indexes of freedom out there, one of the advantages of comparing them is that every single index has at least one WTF moment in them and the comparisons help point that out.

Also, even if one disagrees with a particular year’s score, following the trends over time can be very illuminating as well in detecting trends and striking moments like Benin falling out of the Free category it had held since the end of the Cold War because of its @$$hole libertarian President rigging the election to disqualify his opponents a la Singapore

[Hash]

Honduras: Civil Liberties from 4 to 5, bad news, not surprised but not sure what in particular was behind this.

I'll be curious to look at the country profile once they publish it, but it is likely the result of Honduras becoming even more of a kleptocratic narco-state. 2020 saw the final demise of MACCIH - the imperfect, flawed and often emasculated but still worthwhile anti-corruption/impunity support mission backed by the OAS - and the victory of 'pro-impunity' political/economic elites. Even more pro-impunity stuff was passed by the rotten Congress and some high-profile attempts (backed by MACCIH and the special anti-corruption prosecutorial unit it supported in the attorney general's office) at prosecuting corrupt elites were dealt major setbacks in the courts.

[WMS]

Honduras: Civil Liberties from 4 to 5, bad news, not surprised but not sure what in particular was behind this.

I'll be curious to look at the country profile once they publish it, but it is likely the result of Honduras becoming even more of a kleptocratic narco-state. 2020 saw the final demise of MACCIH - the imperfect, flawed and often emasculated but still worthwhile anti-corruption/impunity support mission backed by the OAS - and the victory of 'pro-impunity' political/economic elites. Even more pro-impunity stuff was passed by the rotten Congress and some high-profile attempts (backed by MACCIH and the special anti-corruption prosecutorial unit it supported in the attorney general's office) at prosecuting corrupt elites were dealt major setbacks in the courts.

Yeah, that sounds like that would do it. One of Freedom House’s themes over the last 10+ years has been how much worse things are getting out there, and there’s certainly enough evidence of that.

[Farmlands]

Bias is not as much of a problem as the reductionist concept of "freedom" that they, and all liberals, use.

Military coups and restrictions on civil discourse aren't really nebulous concepts, despite what some would like to believe. In any case, you could see democratisation being an inevitable process just a few years ago, so this recent opposite trend on various political systems is very dismaying to see.

[Saruku]

I don't have the time or energy to deal with Euroliberals (who are even worse than American liberals because of their superiority complex) who lecture the rest of the world about freedom and democracy from atop a mountain of wealth they stole from them.

[certified hummus supporter 🇵🇸🤝🇺🇸🤝🇺🇦]

I don't have the time or energy to deal with Euroliberals (who are even worse than American liberals because of their superiority complex) who lecture the rest of the world about freedom and democracy from atop a mountain of wealth they stole from them.

Please tell me about how Finland stole wealth from developing countries that would've lead them becoming functioning and free democracies.

[Middle-aged Europe]

I don't have the time or energy to deal with Euroliberals (who are even worse than American liberals because of their superiority complex) who lecture the rest of the world about freedom and democracy from atop a mountain of wealth they stole from them.

Not sure what or who you're referring to here, but Freedom House is an American organization whose Board of Trustees is currently chaired by George W. Bush's former Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff.

[Farmlands]

I don't have the time or energy to deal with Euroliberals (who are even worse than American liberals because of their superiority complex) who lecture the rest of the world about freedom and democracy from atop a mountain of wealth they stole from them.

I have older relatives who lived through Salazar's dictatorship and they have only awful tales of that dark period the country went through. The people of Thailand, Myanmar and others fighting for liberty now clearly feel the same way. How about you stop telling opressed people how happy they should feel about their iron-fist regimes?

[CumbrianLefty]

Those people can/could have comforted themselves in the knowledge they were striking a blow for the noble cause of anti-imperialism. Or something.

[WMS]

Some updates! Note: I am compiling all the reasons FH gives for the various subcategories’ changes.

Brazil: Civil Liberties from 2 to 3, this is not good news. Bolonosaro in general, I suspect.
Score Change: The score declined due to a multiyear trend of rising poverty, income inequality, and barriers to social mobility, combined with the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which created record unemployment and left many Brazilians dependent on temporary public assistance.

Cote d’Ivoire: Political Rights from 4 to 5, bad news. Apparently from the President winning an illegal third term in a rigged election.
Score Change: The score declined because the incumbent president was elected in a contest that featured restrictions on the opposition that resulted in a boycott, and was marred by state and nonstate violence throughout the campaign period and after.
Score Change: The score declined because changes to the country’s electoral code were made by executive decree, and because the election commission operates opaquely, in the general absence of oversight by opposition-appointed members.
Score Change: The score declined because voters faced intimidation from police forces, the military, and heads of academic institutions who supported the president, reducing people’s ability to make independent political choices.
Score Change: The score declined due to a widespread perception among professors and students that debating sensitive political topics involving the 2020 election would be met with retaliation from the government.
Score Change: The score declined because Ivorians engaged in self-censorship due to concerns about harassment or retaliation by the government and militia forces during the election period.
Score Change: The score declined because police forces allowed armed militias to attack peaceful protesters who opposed President Ouattara’s reelection.
Score Change: The score declined because the government targeted leaders and members of governance-oriented NGOs with arrest and detention during the election cycle.

Georgia: Political Rights from 3 to 4, not good, we have a thread on this explaining things.
Score Change: The score declined due to significant shortcomings in the year’s elections, including voter intimidation, misuse of administrative resources, vote buying, election-related violence, and apparent tabulation discrepancies, which prompted opposition parties to boycott the runoff.

India: Civil Liberties from 3 to 4, and a decline from Free to Partly Free. All BJP stuff, and a huge blow to world freedom.
India’s status declined from Free to Partly Free due to a multiyear pattern in which the Hindu nationalist government and its allies have presided over rising violence and discriminatory policies affecting the Muslim population and pursued a crackdown on expressions of dissent by the media, academics, civil society groups, and protesters.
Score Change: The score declined due to the frequent use of sedition and other charges in recent years to deter free speech, including discussion of a discriminatory citizenship law and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Score Change: The score declined because the government enacted legislation to tighten restrictions on foreign funding for NGOs and separately froze the assets of Amnesty International, forcing it to shutter its operations in the country.
Score Change: The score declined because the unusual appointment of a recently retired chief justice to the upper house of Parliament, a pattern of more progovernment decisions by the Supreme Court, and the high-profile transfer of a judge after he ruled against the government’s political interests all suggested a closer alignment between the judicial leadership and the ruling party.
Score Change: The score declined due to an excessively harsh pandemic-related lockdown that triggered the displacement of millions of low-paid migrant workers under dangerous conditions, and featured violent and discriminatory enforcement by police and civilian vigilantes.

Jordan: Political Rights from 5 to 6, and a decline from Partly Free to Not Free. Regime authoritarianism.
Jordan’s status declined from Partly Free to Not Free due to harsh new restrictions on freedom of assembly, a crackdown on the teachers’ union following a series of strikes and protests, and factors including a lack of adequate preparations that harmed the quality of parliamentary elections during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Score Change: The score declined because weaknesses in the existing legal framework and continued malapportionment allowed an environment favoring progovernment candidates to persist during the 2020 elections.
Score Change: The score declined because the government used emergency powers to place strict limits on assembly, forcibly dispersed protests against the closure of the Teachers’ Syndicate in July and August, and restricted communications services used to broadcast those protests.
Score Change: The score declined because authorities raided and closed the headquarters and branch offices of the teachers’ union, jailed hundreds of its members in July and August, and ordered the organization’s permanent dissolution in a December court ruling.

Kyrgyzstan: Political Rights from 5 to 7, Civil Liberties from 4 to 5, Partly Free to Not Free. In a development I missed, the last light in Central Asia (Mongolia is technically East Asia, shush) was extinguished as first there were fraudulent elections followed by a crime boss taking over the protests and overthrowing the government, installing himself as President and busily rewriting the constitution to be like its neighbors. Sh!t.
Kyrgyzstan’s status declined from Partly Free to Not Free because the aftermath of deeply flawed parliamentary elections featured significant political violence and intimidation that culminated in the irregular seizure of power by a nationalist leader and convicted felon who had been freed from prison by supporters.
Score Change: The score declined because Sadyr Japarov assumed the role of acting president before being appointed by the parliament amid threats of violence against his predecessor, and also became acting prime minister through opaque means.
Score Change: The score declined because electoral authorities annulled the results of the October 2020 parliamentary elections due to vote buying and other irregularities, and because the parliament subsequently postponed a new poll and extended its own mandate.
Score Change: The score declined because Japarov supporters and groups believed to maintain criminal connections engaged in violence and intimidation to prevent opposition groups from collaborating to form a transitional government after the October 2020 elections.
Score Change: The score declined because Japarov supporters engaged in a campaign of violence and threats of violence against sitting officials and political opponents to secure their preferred government in October 2020.
Score Change: The score declined because neither the chief executive nor the legislators serving at the end of the year were freely elected.
Score Change: The score declined because officials ignored and resisted the results of an investigation revealing pervasive corruption, and because Japarov offered “economic amnesty” to officials who benefited from ill-gotten gains after taking power in October 2020.
Score Change: The score declined because government officials and legislators made key decisions in a nontransparent fashion after the October 2020 parliamentary elections were annulled, with Japarov claiming presidential powers before parliamentarians formerly installed him to the post and lawmakers passing key legislation without public comment.
Score Change: The score declined because peaceful protesters objecting to the conduct of the October 2020 elections faced violence from Japarov supporters, and because then president Jeenbekov declared martial law in an effort to curtail mass gatherings.
Score Change: The score declined because the judiciary overturned Japarov’s criminal convictions as he assumed executive power, and because the judiciary allowed the parliament to delay an election and remain in office beyond its electoral mandate.
Score Change: The score declined because individuals—including Japarov—were released from prison without due process during the October 2020 protests, and because Japarov was allowed to remain free and assume executive power while others were taken back into custody.

Mali: Political Rights from 5 to 6, from Partly Free to Not Free, another f****** coup. This was once such a success story.
Mali’s status declined from Partly Free to Not Free due to legislative elections that were marred by political violence and a subsequent military coup that removed the country’s elected civilian leadership.
Score Change: The score declined because the elected president and prime minister were overthrown in a coup d'état.
Score Change: The score declined because an elected parliament was replaced by an unelected transitional body as the result of a coup d’état.
Score Change: The score declined because opposition leaders and candidates faced physical violence and intimidation during the March and April parliamentary elections, limiting their ability to fully participate in the contest.
Score Change: The score declined because a military-led transitional government superseded the ability of voters to make meaningful political choices.
Score Change: The score declined because an elected government was overthrown during the year and was therefore unable to determine policy.

Mexico: Civil Liberties from 3 to 4, not good. Not sure why but probably related to authoritarianism of AMLO and MORENA.
Score Change: The score declined because the government has resisted calls to address gender-based violence, particularly domestic violence, and cut funding for related services despite significant increases in the scale of the problem.

Moldova: Civil Liberties from 4 to 3, hey in the right direction! There’s a thread on this so it’s OP might know why.
Score Change: The score improved because private discussion is generally free and unfettered following the 2019 collapse of the PDM government.

Peru: Political Rights from 2 to 3, from Free to Partly Free. Obviously not good, there’s a thread on the political turmoil behind this.
Peru’s status declined from Free to Partly Free due to extended political clashes between the presidency and Congress since 2017 that have heavily disrupted governance and anticorruption efforts, strained the country’s constitutional order, and resulted in an irregular succession of four presidents within three years.
Score Change: The score declined due to Congress’s use of a flawed procedure to remove President Martín Vizcarra and replace him with its own handpicked leader, Manuel Merino, leading to mass protests and Merino’s resignation after less than one week in office.

Thailand: Political Rights from 6 to 7, Civil Liberties from 4 to 5, Partly Free to Not Free. Military crackdown on opposition. Threads on this.
Thailand’s status declined from Partly Free to Not Free due to the dissolution of a popular opposition party that had performed well in the 2019 elections, and the military-dominated government’s crackdown on youth-led protests calling for democratic reforms.
Score Change: The score declined due to the Constitutional Court’s abolition of the opposition Future Forward Party, which held 80 seats in Parliament.
Score Change: The score declined because emergency decrees the government said were meant to curb the spread of COVID-19 unduly curtailed youth-led antigovernment demonstrations.

Ukraine: Civil Liberties from 3 to 4, not good. Apparently things got worse this year. Excellent thread on that.
Score Change: The score declined because a Constitutional Court ruling significantly weakened asset-declaration requirements and rolled back criminal penalties for the falsification of asset declarations.
Score Change: The score declined because judges have prevented corruption investigations from proceeding, and the prosecutor general meddled in the investigation of high-level officials.

United States: Civil Liberties from 1 to 2. First time US has had a 2,2 rating ever. F Trump.
Score Change: The score declined due to a pattern of politically motivated disinformation and attempts to control or manipulate official findings related to the COVID-19 pandemic by the federal and some state governments, the president’s abrupt dismissal of several inspectors general who had documented or investigated malfeasance by administration officials, and further administration interference with the collection and reporting of decennial census data, among other problems.
Score Change: The score declined due to a dramatic increase in arrests of and physical assaults on journalists across the country during the year, with most cases linked to coverage of protests.
Score Change: The score declined due to excessive police and federal agency responses to racial justice protests during the year, including thousands of arrests and numerous documented instances of police brutality, as well as multiple cases of intimidation and lethal violence involving armed protesters, counterprotesters, or vigilantes.

Zimbabwe: Political Rights from 5 to 6, Partly Free to Not Free, increased authoritarianism versus opposition.
Zimbabwe’s status declined from Partly Free to Not Free due to the authorities’ intensifying persecution of opposition figures and civic activists.
Score Change: The score declined due to mass arrests, intimidation, and harassment targeting opposition party officials, as well as the ruling party’s alleged efforts to exploit divisions within the opposition by coopting one of the rival factions.