The well-known Washington-based think tank Freedom House has downgraded India’s freedom score from “free” to “partially free,” saying that civil rights and liberties “have been eroding since Narendra Modi left. became prime minister in 2014, “referring specifically to attacks on Muslims. of the sedition law and the government’s response to the coronavirus, including the shutdown.
India’s score dropped from 71 to 67, with 100 being the freest country ranking, and its ranking dropped from 83 to 88 out of 211 countries. In its annual report, Freedom House said: “Your (Modi’s) Hindu nationalist government has presided over increased pressure on human rights organizations, increasing intimidation of academics and journalists, and a series of bigoted attacks, including lynchings, targeting Muslims. . The decline deepened following Modi’s re-election in 2019, and the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 featured further abuses of fundamental rights. “
In a press release, the organization underlined a “pattern in which the Hindu nationalist government and its allies have presided over increasing violence and discriminatory policies that affect the Muslim population and have pursued a crackdown on expressions of dissent from the media, academics, civil society groups, and protesters ”.
India’s score of 67 places it on par with Ecuador and the Dominican Republic. Freedom House noted that the change in India’s status from “Free” to “Partially Free” was the most significant for 2020, “meaning that less than 20 percent of the world’s population now lives in a free country, the proportion smallest since 1995 “.
The freest countries in the world, with a score of 100, are Finland, Norway and Sweden, while the least free with a score of 1 are Tibet and Syria.
The report reads: “The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and its allies at the state level continued to clamp down on critics throughout the year, and their response to COVID-19 included a clumsy lockdown that resulted in the dangerous and unplanned displacement of millions of internal migrant workers. The ruling Hindu nationalist movement also encouraged Muslims to become scapegoats, who were disproportionately blamed for the spread of the virus and faced attacks by vigilante mobs. Instead of serving as a champion of democratic practice and a counterweight to the authoritarian influence of countries like China, Modi and his party are tragically driving India itself towards authoritarianism. “
The organization evaluates nations on 25 different indicators. India’s score fell relative to the following questions:
“Are people free to express their personal opinions on political or other sensitive issues without fear of surveillance or punishment?” The report claims that this score decreased due to the “use of sedition and other charges in recent years to deter freedom of expression, including the discussion of a discriminatory citizenship law and the Covid-19 pandemic.”
“Is there freedom for non-governmental organizations, particularly those engaged in work related to human rights and governance?” This score declined due to amendments to the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act and the freezing of Amnesty International’s assets, leading to the closure of the organization’s operations in India.
“Is there an independent judiciary?” This score declined due to the appointment of former Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi to the Rajya Sabha, “a pattern of more government-friendly decisions by the Supreme Court,” and “the high-profile transfer of a judge after he ruled. against the political interests of the government. “
“Do people have freedom of movement, including the ability to change their place of residence, employment or education?” This score decreased due to the migration crisis and “violent and discriminatory enforcement by the police and civil vigilantes.”
The Freedom House report re-listed “Indian Kashmir” separately and maintained its “not free” status last year (the first time it did), with a score that dropped from 28 to 27. Between 2013 and 2019 , “Indian Kashmir” was labeled “partially free”. His score dropped from 28 to 27.
“Disputed territories are sometimes assessed separately if they meet certain criteria, including limits that are stable enough to allow year-on-year comparisons,” the report says.
India’s Internet freedom score has remained at 51. However, the report states that “Internet freedom in India was drastically reduced for the third year in a row”, citing Internet shutdowns, blocked content, misinformation spread by political leaders, online harassment, amendments to the Foreign Direct. Investment policy, coordinated spyware campaigns and digital monitoring.
It also highlights the events of 2020, such as the riots in northeast Delhi in February and the acquittal in September of 32 defendants in a Babri Masjid demolition case in 1992.
Between 2013 and 2015, India’s ranking had increased twice, consequently by 1 point, from 76 to 78. The ranking remained at 77 from 2016 to 2018. It was reduced to 75 in 2019 and 71 in 2020.
Apart from India, Belarus fell eight points, Hong Kong three, Algeria two and Venezuela two.
Freedom House said the changes in India are “part of a broader shift in the international balance between democracy and authoritarianism, where authoritarians generally enjoy impunity for their abuses and seize new opportunities to consolidate power or crush dissent. In many cases, promising democratic movements faced major setbacks as a result. “
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