HRW urges Democratic leaders to ‘do better’ in the face of rising authoritarianism
Human Rights Watch says the world’s democratic leaders must “do better” in addressing global challenges if they are to build momentum to overthrow autocrats after a wave of protests against authoritarian rule last year.
In its 2022 Global Report, released on January 13, the rights watchdog said autocratic leaders faced significant backlash in 2021, but democracy will only thrive if democratic leaders do better at resolving global issues to show people that democracy is up to the task.
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The report notes that leaders with autocratic leanings lead the way in many parts of the world, including Russia and China, while continuing to make inroads in regions where the democratic process is undermined by illicit actions, including corruption, aimed at consolidating authoritarian regimes. grip on power.
“Today’s democratic leaders are failing to meet the challenges facing the world,” HRW executive director Kenneth Roth noted in the report’s introduction.
“In one country after another, large numbers of people have taken to the streets, even at the risk of being arrested or shot, which shows that the pull of democracy remains strong… But elected leaders must better tackle the major problems. challenges to show that democratic government delivers on its promise of dividends,” he added.
The report indicates that leaders with authoritarian tendencies frequently use public funds to fund self-serving projects rather than public needs.
Roth points out that in Hungary, for example, Prime Minister Viktor Orban spent European Union grants on football stadiums, “which he used to pay buddies, while leaving hospitals in a dilapidated state”. .
In Russia, the report says legislative crackdowns that began in November 2020 intensified ahead of the September general election, including expanding and toughening legislation on “foreign agents” and “undesirable foreign organizations.”
Russian “foreign agent” laws require designated individuals to register with authorities and label their content with an intrusive disclaimer, with criminal fines for failing to do so.
Kremlin critics say the designation “foreign agent” evokes Soviet-era connotations that aim to stamp out all independent civic activity in Russia.
Many activists, journalists and associates of jailed opposition politician Aleksei Navalny have left the country in recent months amid growing pressure on independent media and those who express dissent. Several of those who left were listed as “foreign agents”.
“Authorities have used some of these laws and other measures to smear, harass and penalize human rights defenders, journalists, independent groups, political opponents and even academics,” the report notes, adding that authorities “targeted particularly independent journalism”.
In Belarus, the report said, authorities last year intensified smear campaigns and prosecutions against political and civic activists, independent journalists and human rights defenders on trumped up politically motivated charges, following a wave of protests in 2020 sparked by strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s claim to victory in a presidential election widely seen as manipulated in his favor.
In China, President Xi Jinping has tightened his grip on power “as the government has doubled down on repression inside and outside the country in 2021”, he said. Moreover, Beijing’s “zero tolerance” policy toward COVID-19 has strengthened the hand of authorities as they impose tough policies in the name of public health.
Despite so many examples of authoritarian gains in the past year, the report notes there is hope for a resurgence of democracy in some parts of the world as ‘alliances of opposition parties have formed’ before the next elections in countries like Hungary and Turkey.
Roth says that since autocrats can no longer rely on “subtly manipulated elections” to retain power, an increasing number are “resorting to overt election charades that guarantee the desired outcome but confer none of the legitimacy sought for the holding of an election”.
“This growing crackdown is a sign of weakness, not strength,” Roth said.
“If democracies are to prevail, their leaders must do more than expose the inevitable shortcomings of autocratic rule,” he added.