‘Restricted’: Nearly 7 billion people worldwide lack full civil rights | Freedom of the Press News

Just 40 Countries Representing 3.5 PERCENT OF THE WORLD’S POPULATION RESTECT ALL CIVIL LIBERTIES, A NEW STUDY HAS FOUND, WARNING THAT “DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS ARE UNDER ATTACK WORLDWIDE IN A WAY WE WE HAVE FOR DECADES.”

The Atlas of Civil Society Report published By The German Relief Organization Brotur The Welt (Bread for the World) on Monday Said Only 284 Million People Living in “Open” Countries – Including Austria, Estonia, The Scandinavian Countries, New Zealand and Jamaica – Enjoy protection of unrestricted Civil Rights and Liberties.

The Nongovernmental Organization definitions a country as “Open” if it allows people to form associations “without legal or practical barriers, demonstration in public spaces, received information and are allowed to disseminate it”.

Forty-Two Countries Making Up 11.1 Percent of the World’s Population are listed in a second category in which civil rights are classified as “impaired”. These include Germany, Slovakia, Argentina and the United States.

In these countries, the rights to freedom of assembly and expression are largely respected, but there are recorded violations.

‘Restricted, suppressed or closed’

“In Contrast, 85 percent of the world’s population lives in countries where Civil Society is restricted, suppressed, or closed. This affects almost seven billion people,” the report found.

“Their Governments Severely Restrict Civil Liberties and Harass, Arrest, or Kill Critical Voices. This applies to 115 of 197 countries,” it added.

Several European Countries appeared in the “restricted” category, including Greece, the United Kingdom, Hungary and Ukraine.

Civil Society is considered “Oppressed” in 51 Countries, including Algeria, Mexico and Turkey. In these countries, Governments Monitor, Imprison or Kill Critics, and Exercise Censorship, according to the data.

Finally, Russia and 28 other countries are classified as “closed” and
Characterized by an “atmosphere of fear”. Criticism of the Government
Or regime in these countries is several punished.

Brot fur the Welt Drew on Data Collected by the Civicus Network of Civil Society Organizations Worldwide for its annual report covering 197 country and territories.

Nine Countries Improved their freedom of Expression Ratings Last Year, including Jamaica, Japan, Slovenia, Trinidad and Tobago, Botswana, Fiji, Liberia, Poland and Bangladesh.

However, nine countries were downgraded from the previous year, including Georgia, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Peru, Ethiopia, Eswatini, The Netherlands, Mongolia and the Palestinian Territory.

Dagmar Pruin, President of Brot Fur the Welt, warned that “the rule of law, the separation of powers and protection against state arbitrariness are under threat or no longer exist in more and more countries.”