New Delhi: The governments of at least 55 countries around the world, including India, Nicaragua, and Saudi Arabia, restrict freedom of movement to punish, coerce, or control people whom they view as political threats or opponents, stated a report published by US based Freedom House.
The report said that the four main tactics for restricting mobility used by such “authoritarian” governments are revoking citizenship, controlling access to key documents, denying consular services, and imposing travel bans.
The report, “No Way In or Out: Authoritarian Controls on the Freedom of Movement”, finds that the governments of at least 55 countries are subjecting people they perceive as a political threat to a variety of repressive tactics.
It is mentionable that founded in October 1941, Freedom House is a non-profit organization and it is known for political advocacy surrounding issues of democracy, political freedom, and human rights.
The new report is based in part on interviews with 31 individuals from Belarus, India, Nicaragua, Rwanda, and Saudi Arabia who experienced mobility controls firsthand.
These controls accompany other well-known authoritarian tactics of political imprisonment and transnational repression. Autocrats cast a wide net with mobility controls, applying them even to the families of targeted individuals as a form of collective punishment, the report said.
“Authoritarians are looking for any possible means to deter perceived opponents from speaking out,” said Nicole Bibbins Sedaca, interim president of Freedom House.
He said that without more awareness and concerted efforts by the international community to address movement restrictions, political imprisonment, and transnational repression, the use of these tactics to muzzle dissent and violate fundamental rights will only grow.
The report further said that restrictions on freedom of movement are often imposed arbitrarily, leaving victims without a means to effectively challenge them. They are also frequently combined with other forms of repression, including asset seizures, smear campaigns, and bogus criminal charges.
“The impacts of mobility controls include, separation from family members, inability to pursue educational or professional opportunities, emotional and mental suffering, and loss of legal status,” it said.
As a step to counter authoritarianism and mobility restrictions, according to the report, Governments and civil society organizations should raise awareness of the threat posed by restrictions on freedom of movement by publicly condemning practices like revocation of citizenship, document controls, denial of consular services, and the application of travel bans; including these practices in their human rights reports; and raising the issue at international forums.
“When calling for the release of political prisoners, governments and civil society organizations should emphasize that releases must be unconditional. All charges should be dropped and expunged, and release should not be accompanied by any official or unofficial travel restrictions on the former prisoner or their family,” the report emphasised.
It said that Governments and civil society organizations should assist individuals subjected to restrictions on their freedom of movement by helping them obtain documentation of travel restrictions that may have been imposed on them or their families by the government in their country of origin.
