The corona pandemic is not only a threat to our health and economy, but also to liberal democracy. The trend of declining democracy has been evident for more than a decade. Scholars are talking about the ”Third wave of autocratisation”. In the wake of the pandemic this wave is now growing into a tsunami, threatening to wipe out hard-earned democratic gains across the world.
Authoritarian regimes are increasing their powers and cracking down on both civil society and political opposition. Dictators are learning from each other and copying each others’ laws in a more rapid pace than ever before. The typical authoritarian response to the virus is to first deny, and do nothing. This was seen in Latin America, where Bolsonaro claimed that Corona is “a regular cold” and where the sandinistas in Nicaragua called for manifestations of love. And of course we have all seen the initial cover-up by both the Chinese communists and the Iranian theocrats.
Once the outbreak is obvious autocrats like to blame someone else. Another popular strategy is to hide the spread by reporting very low numbers. After this, the typical autocrat will introduce harsh restrictions, limiting both freedom of assembly and freedom of speech. In the Philippines, President Duterte has introduced a state of emergency for six months, and has given orders that those who do not observe the curfew can be shot dead. In Cambodia, Prime Minister Hun Sen has been granted the right to close down independent media and organisations, and he has used the restrictions on freedom of speech to put opposition figures in prison. Another example of a president increasing his power is Viktor Orbán, who now has made Hungary the first dictatorship inside the European Union.
Democratic regimes are now also introducing severe restrictions, restrictions that we would normally only see in dictatorships. As of April 1st, over half of humanity was in lockdown. Draconian emergency measures have become the new normal, and will likely remain for some time. Some of these measures are necessary to flatten the now famous virus curve. Others are not.
Limiting the freedom of speech is not a way to stop the virus, rather the opposite. Still, Bolivia and Botswana have chosen to do so, along with twenty other countries. As liberals we need to constantly remind the world that the free flow of information and exchange of ideas is what has led the world forward.
Restrictions on movement and assembly, although some may be necessary at the moment, do put democracy at risk. Once installed they might be difficult to get rid of. Also, other liberal core values are at risk in this pandemic. Free trade is taking a hard blow when countries choose to close their borders and to limit exports. Personal integrity is at risk when increased surveillance is introduced in many countries and considered in even more.
It is an important liberal fight to make sure, not only that measures are efficient from a medical point of view, but also that they are restricted in time and that they harm our rights and values as little as possible.
In these difficult times we need more – not less – liberalism, internationalism and solidarity.
Åsa Nilsson Söderström
Member of the LI Human Rights Committee
Chairperson of the Working Group on Closing Democratic Space
