About the Autocratisation Goes Viral Report:
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Released by:
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V-Dem (Varieties of Democracy) Institute.
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It is an independent research organization founded in 2014 by Swedish political scientist Staffan Lindberg.
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Objective: The report summarizes the state of democracies of the world against the backdrop of developments, over the past decade.
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Data: The report gathered its data using surveys from country experts and then analysed using a statistical model.
Key Findings Related to India:
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India is rated as autocratic along with Pakistan. It is a worse rating than both its neighbours Bangladesh and Nepal.
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India is also among 25 “autocratizing nations” along with Brazil, Turkey, and other countries.
Reasons for the downgrading of India:
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Frequent use of defamation(Section 499) and Sedition(Section 124-A) to silence journalists and critics.
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Use of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act(UAPA) to place constraints on civil society.
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The passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 to grant citizenship based on religious lines.
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Increase use of Foreign Contributions Regulation Act(FCRA) to restrict the entry, exit, and functioning of Civil Society Organisations(CSO).
Other key Global Findings:
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The liberal democracies have reduced over the past decade from 41 countries to 32 countries.
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The global decline during the past decade is increasing especially in the Asia-Pacific region, Central Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America.