![]() But the Chinese Communist Party struck back hard, imposing a draconian National Security Law in mid-2020 that immediately chilled free expression and undercut due process guarantees. In another show of strength, democratic forces won a sweeping victory in district council elections that year. In 2019, the population mounted enormous protests in opposition to an extradition bill that threatened the territory’s autonomy and civil liberties-part of a pattern of growing authoritarian encroachment from Beijing. Hong Kong’s democracy movement seems headed for a similar fate. By the end of 2020, Guaidó’s prospects had dimmed, and the regime had engineered elections for a new National Assembly that were boycotted and rejected by the democratic opposition. But Maduro dug in as Venezuela’s economy and society continued to collapse, dispatching police and paramilitary forces to hunt down opposition demonstrators and seeking ways to undermine his rival’s legitimacy. ![]() The National Assembly named Guaidó as interim president under the constitution, citing the illegitimacy of the presidential election that kept Maduro in office, and many democratic governments recognized Guaidó’s status. After years of frustration, hopes rose in early 2019 when opposition leader Juan Guaidó appeared to present a serious challenge to the oppressive rule of Nicolás Maduro. Protests have failed to bring change in part because dictators are willing to inflict tremendous damage on their own countries in their quest to retain power. Of 39 countries that Freedom House identified as having had at least one significant protest in 2019, 23 suffered a net decline in political rights and civil liberties in 2020-a much higher proportion than in the world at large. Time and again, authoritarian forces like Myanmar’s military have gained the upper hand, and protesters have gradually succumbed to unrelenting repression.Ĭould Trump have been dumb enough to use Twitter DMs for his plot? Plus, the…įrom Algeria and Guinea to India and Iran, abusive authorities successfully staved off public demands last year by arresting and prosecuting demonstrators, passing restrictive new laws, and in some cases resorting to lethal crackdowns, for which they faced few international repercussions. In fact, Freedom House’s latest Freedom in the World report found that 2020 was the fifteenth consecutive year of declining political rights and civil liberties around the world. But if those cases are any guide, the protesters in Myanmar face long odds in their effort to recover some semblance of democracy.ĭictators have become increasingly resourceful in holding the line against popular pro-democracy movements. ![]() This is a story that has played out in numerous other countries in recent years. ![]() ![]() Millions of people have participated in mass civil-disobedience campaigns since February 1, and demonstrators have bravely risked their lives in face of escalating violence by security forces. Although a genocidal campaign against the Rohingya minority and crackdowns on dissent later stained Myanmar’s experiment with democracy, the public is clearly determined to prevent a full reversal of its gains over the past decade. The country emerged as a beacon of progress just five years ago, when the military began sharing power with elected civilian leaders who had long been persecuted. Daily protests against the military coup in Myanmar are the latest sign that people around the world are unwilling to acquiesce when their desire for freedom is thwarted by undemocratic forces. ![]()
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