Free expression in crisis for over half the world’s population, report warns

More than half of the world’s population lives in a country where free expression is in crisis, according to a new report.

The downturn comes as dozens of countries in 2024 are scheduled to hold elections, and where Article 19, which published the report, has already documented efforts to restrict access to information.

Overall, about 4.2 billion people, or 53% of the global population, live in countries where freedom of expression is in crisis, according to the report. And just over a fifth — 23% — lives in a country that is considered open or less restricted.

“It’s not just bad. It’s literally the worst that you could get in half of the world,” Article 19’s executive director, Quinn McKew, told VOA from London.

The Global Expression Report shows a marked change from the last annual report, when Article 19 found 34% of the global population lived in countries where free expression is in crisis. Over the past decade, the free expression group has documented a worsening situation in 78 countries.

To make its assessment, Article 19 analyzes 25 indicators, including the freedom of media, religion and academia. It then ranks countries and territories under the categories of open, less restricted, restricted, highly restricted and crisis.

Now more than any other time this century, more people are living in places where free expression is in crisis, McKew said.

“That is particularly challenging because we know that freedom of expression is a necessary precursor for actually having true, open democracies,” McKew said.

With elections underway in several countries already this year, Article 19 has observed an increase in internet shutdowns, as well as a rise in state-backed propaganda campaigns intended to influence elections, according to McKew.

The latter “is leading to an overall pollution of the information environment,” McKew said. “Being a savvy information consumer during elections is critically important.”

Assaults on free expression in India are of particular concern, according to McKew.

The country is nearing the end of its six-week-long national election period in which India’s Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a third term. The staggered election runs until June 1, with votes set to be counted on June 4.

Since Modi became prime minister in 2014, India has declined in 24 out of the 25 factors that Article 19 analyzes in its annual report. This year, India is classed in the report as “Crisis.”

Crackdowns on critical journalists and news outlets in India underscore broader threats to free expression in the country of 1.4 billion people, McKew says.

Her findings are backed by data from other watchdogs.

Since India’s last general election, in 2019, a record number of journalists have been arrested or faced criminal charges, and several critical outlets have been targeted with raids over alleged fraud or tax evasion, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

“India talks about itself being the world’s largest democracy,” McKew said. “How much longer will it be a democracy if it keeps undermining the one thing that is necessary to truly be considered a democracy in the world?”

India’s Washington embassy did not immediately reply to VOA’s email requesting comment.

Other countries that marked a decline since last year’s report include Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Moldova, Mongolia, Senegal and Togo. On a global scale, free expression is “stagnant,” the report found.

But elections can also bring about positive effects for free expression, as shown by improvements made in Brazil following former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s win over right-wing incumbent Jair Bolsonaro.

Since Lula da Silva assumed the Brazilian presidency at the beginning of 2023, Brazil’s free expression score increased 26 points, according to Article 19. Improvements to journalist safety, for instance, helped the country’s free expression categorization move from “restricted” to “open.”

“Brazil’s example gives us hope that change is possible,” Maria Trajan, who works at Article 19 Brazil, said in a statement.

“But it’s also a reminder that rights and freedoms must never be taken for granted — the work to guarantee, strengthen and improve rights must always continue,” she said.

Beyond Brazil, other countries that improved over the last year include Fiji, Sri Lanka and Thailand.