Global democracy is in crisis during the coronavirus pandemic, report finds

Democracy is in crisis worldwide as governments take advantage of the coronavirus pandemic to tighten controls and conduct human rights abuses, according to a new report by research institute Freedom House.

The report, released Thursday, identified 80 countries where freedoms have deteriorated, many of them nations with repressive or authoritarian governments like China and Cambodia, the report said.

“What began as a worldwide health crisis has become part of the global crisis for democracy,” said Michael J. Abramowitz, president of Freedom House, which is funded by the US government. “Governments in every part of the world have abused their powers in the name of public health, seizing the opportunity to undermine democracy and human rights.”

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Between January and September, Freedom House and the survey firm GQR surveyed nearly 400 journalists, activists, civil servants and experts in 105 countries and territories. Freedom House also consulted international analysts, bringing the total number of countries covered in the report to 192.

The experts identified five major pillars of democracy that are now under threat: government transparency, freedom of press and speech, credible elections, checks against abuse of power, and protections for vulnerable groups.

“The new COVID-era laws and practices will be hard to reverse,” said Sarah Repucci, one of the report’s co-authors. “The harm to fundamental human rights will last long beyond the pandemic.”

The five pillars under threat

Numerous world leaders have failed to be candid and transparent about the impact of the coronavirus, said the report – prompting public distrust in the authorities and allowing misinformation to spread.

In the survey, 62% of respondents said they distrusted virus-related information from their national government. The issue of transparency can range from politicians like US President Donald Trump making unfounded or misleading statements, to companies and ministers engaging in active corruption, said the report.

Trump and first lady Melania Trump tested positive for Covid-19 on Friday. Their diagnoses came just hours after Trump’s top aide Hope Hicks tested positive for the virus.

Freedom of press is under threat as well – at least 91% of the countries examined have seen increased restrictions on the news media during the pandemic, according to the report. Journalists covering the crisis have been arrested, harassed, and stripped of press credentials; news outlets have been shut down and censored online.

Workers at the Inhauma cemetery in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, carry the coffin containing the remains of 89-year-old Irodina Pinto Ribeiro on Friday, June 18, 2021. Brazil has now marked 500,000 deaths from Covid-19 -- the second-highest death toll in the world.

A demonstrator holds a sign that reads "Bolsonaro out" in a protest against Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's administration on June 19, 2021 in Rio de Janeiro. Many are angry at his handling of the Covid-19 crisis as the country marks 500,000 deaths from the virus.

Jeffrey Shiau, a volunteer from the crowd, spits water into the mouth of Sam Kaufman, a performer from the Human Fountains, during a "reopening party" in Los Angeles on Tuesday, June 15. California lifted most of its Covid-19 restrictions Tuesday as part of a grand reopening in which the state ended capacity limits, physical distancing and — at least for those vaccinated — mask requirements.

People watch fireworks in front of the Statue of Liberty after the state of New York lifted most of its Covid-19 restrictions on Tuesday, June 15. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that 70% of adults in New York had received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.

Exhausted grave diggers rest between funerals at a cemetery designated for Covid-19 victims in Bandung, Indonesia, on Tuesday, June 15.

This aerial photo, taken on Sunday, June 13, shows a graduation ceremony at Central China Normal University. The ceremony in Wuhan, China, also included graduates who could not attend last year because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Dr. Brajpal Singh Tyagi, left, performs surgery to remove mucormycosis, a rare and potentially deadly infection also known as black fungus, from a patient in Ghaziabad, India, on June 1. In the past few weeks, thousands of black fungus cases have been reported across the country, with hundreds hospitalized and dozens dead. Many of those being infected are coronavirus patients or those who have recently recovered from Covid-19 and have weakened immune systems.

A Covid-19 victim is laid to rest in a graveyard in Comas, Peru, on June 1. Peru has more than doubled its official death toll from the Covid-19 pandemic following a government review of the figures. That leaves the country with the world's highest coronavirus-related death rate per capita.

Two moviegoers watch a film at the Kiggins Theatre in Vancouver, Washington, on May 14. Many places in the United States are starting to reopen and get back to some sort of normal as more people get vaccinated.

People ride on a wave swinger at Chicago's Navy Pier on May 14. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently revised its Covid-19 guidelines, saying it's safe for fully vaccinated people to remove their face masks in most settings.

Guests are seen at the reopening of The Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, which held a concert for health care workers, first responders and essential workers.

Family members look on as Jack Frilingos, 12, receives a Covid-19 vaccine in Decatur, Georgia, on May 11. It was a day after the US Food and Drug Administration authorized Pfizer's vaccine for the 12-15 age group.

People in protective suits cremate the bodies of Covid-19 victims while others work to extend a crematorium in Kathmandu, Nepal, on May 5. Covid-19 cases are skyrocketing in Nepal, resembling a similar outbreak in neighboring India.

Health workers carry signs while participating in a protest outside a hospital in Caracas, Venezuela, on May 1. During the protest, which was part of International Workers' Day, they demanded better wages and working conditions as well as mass vaccinations against Covid-19.

Passengers sit on the deck of the Costa Smeralda cruise ship in Savona, Italy, on May 1. The Italian cruise line Costa Cruises set sail for the first time in more than four months.

A member of the group Rio de la Paz places a cross at Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana Beach on April 30. It was in preparation for an event marking Brazil's Covid-19 death toll, which had reached 400,000.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau receives a Covid-19 vaccine at a pharmacy in Ottawa on April 23.

Funeral pyres burn in New Delhi as people wait to cremate Covid-19 victims on April 23. A second wave of Covid-19 is devastating India, killing thousands of people each day and setting world records for daily infections.

People sit in an observation area after receiving Covid-19 vaccines at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Appointments are no longer necessary at any of the vaccination sites run by the city.

Relatives of a patient who died from Covid-19 perform his last rites amid other burning pyres at a crematorium in New Delhi.

Migrant workers line up to enter a railway station ahead of a lockdown in Mumbai, India, on April 14.

A health worker at a charity hospital in Belém, Brazil, sings and prays for a Covid-19 patient as part of Easter celebrations on April 4.

This aerial photo shows an area of Mumbai, India, on April 10. Because of rising Covid-19 cases, a weekend lockdown was imposed across the entire state of Maharashtra.

The Rev. John Kellogg, rector of Christ Church, wears a protective mask as he distributes communion at a sunrise Easter service held at the Congressional Cemetery in Washington, DC.

Women in Krakow, Poland, carry Easter baskets after a food-blessing ceremony at the Basilica of St. Michael the Archangel on April 3.

People wear face masks and observe social distancing as they attend a Good Friday church service in Berlin on April 2.

People scatter as police fire water cannons to disperse a crowd at a park in Brussels, Belgium, on April 1. Violent clashes broke out between Brussels police and people gathering to attend a fake April Fool's Day festival that violated coronavirus restrictions.

Yoshia Uomoto, 98, reacts as her son Mark Uomoto and niece Gail Yamada surprise her at her assisted-living facility in Seattle on March 30. Because of Covid-19 restrictions, it was their first in-person visit in a year.

People in Barcelona, Spain, attend a concert for the rock group Love of Lesbian on March 27. Fans had to take a same-day Covid-19 test before attending the show, which was permitted by Spanish health authorities.

A person dressed as the Easter Bunny greets children in a vehicle during a drive-thru event in Alexandria, Virginia, on March 27.

Beachgoers are seen in Miami on March 22. Miami Beach was forced to extend a curfew and state of emergency, possibly for several weeks, after city police struggled to control shoulder-to-shoulder crowds of spring breakers over the weekend, Mayor Dan Gelber said.

Tercio Galdino and his wife, Alicea, wear astronaut costumes to protect themselves from Covid-19 as they walk along the Ipanema Beach in Rio de Janeiro on March 20.

A remote-controlled robot takes a throat swab at a hospital in Tanta, Egypt, on March 20. The robot prototype is part of a project to assist physicians in testing patients for Covid-19.

Relatives of Tereza Santos, a Covid-19 victim, react as she is about to be buried in São Paulo, Brazil, on March 9.

First-grader Sophia Frazier does her schoolwork behind a plastic divider at Two Rivers Elementary School in Sacramento, California, on March 8.

Dr. Mayank Amin, dressed as Superman, prepares a Covid-19 vaccine at a clinic in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, on March 7. Amin has been on a mission to vaccinate thousands of people in his rural community.

A child tosses a surgical mask into a fire during a mask-burning event at the Idaho Statehouse in Boise on March 6. People gathered in at least 20 cities across the state to protest Covid-19 restrictions.

Country music legend Dolly Parton receives a Covid-19 vaccine in Nashville, Tennessee, on March 2. She posted the video to her Twitter account, urging her followers to get their shot when they can.

From left, high school students Emma Banker, Jessi McIrvin and Valerie Sanchez record their vocals in pop-up tents during a choir class in Wenatchee, Washington, on February 26. Wenatchee High School has been using the tents for its music programs during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Anna, a resident of the Villa Sacra Famiglia Nursing Home, holds her daughter's hand in the Rome facility's "hug room" on February 24. The room allows residents and their families to touch one another while staying safe from Covid-19.

Members of Congress observe a moment of silence on the steps of the US Capitol on February 23. At that point, more than 500,000 Americans had lost their lives to Covid-19.