Add news
News Every Day |

Report: Nicaragua, China, India among 55 countries that restrict freedom of movement

Washington  — At least 55 governments in the past decade have restricted the freedom of movement for people they deem as threats, including journalists, according to a Freedom House report published Thursday. 


Governments control freedom of movement via travel bans, revoking citizenship, document control and denial of consular services, the report found. All the tactics are designed to coerce and punish government critics, according to Jessica White, the report’s London-based co-author.


"This is a type of tactic that really shows the vindictive and punitive nature of some countries," White said. This form of repression "is an attempt to really stifle peoples’ ability to speak out freely from wherever they are."


Belarus, China, India, Nicaragua, Russia, Rwanda and Saudi Arabia are among the countries that engage in this form of repression, the report found. Freedom House based its findings in part on interviews with more than 30 people affected by mobility controls.


Travel bans are the most common tactic, according to White, with Freedom House identifying at least 40 governments who prevent citizens leaving or returning to the country.


Revoking citizenship is another strategy, despite being prohibited by international law. The Nicaraguan government in 2023 stripped more than 200 political prisoners of their citizenship shortly after deporting them to the United States.


Among them were Juan Lorenzo Holmann, head of Nicaragua’s oldest newspaper, La Prensa.


"It is as if I do not exist anymore. It is another attack on my human rights," he told VOA after being freed. "But you cannot do away with the person’s personality. In the Nicaraguan constitution, it says that you cannot wipe out a person’s personal records or take away their nationality. I feel Nicaraguan, and they cannot take that away from me."


Before being expelled from his own country, Lorenzo had spent 545 days in prison, in what was widely viewed as a politically motivated case.


Blocking access to passports and other travel documents is another tactic. In one example, Hong Kong in June canceled the passports of six pro-democracy activists who were living in exile in Britain.




In some cases, governments refuse to issue people passports to trap them in the country. And in cases where the individual is already abroad, embassies deny passport renewals to block the individual from traveling anywhere, including back home.


Myanmar’s embassy in Berlin, for instance, has refused to renew the passport of Ma Thida, a Burmese writer in exile in Germany. Ma Thida told VOA earlier this year she believes the refusal is in retaliation for her writing.


White said Ma Thida’s case was a classic example of mobility restrictions. For now, the German government has issued a passport reserved for people who are unable to obtain a passport from their home country — which White applauded but said is still rare.




"Our ability to freely leave and return to our home country is something that in democratic societies, people often take for granted. It’s one of our fundamental human rights, but it’s one that is being undermined and violated across many parts of the world," White said.


Mobility restrictions can have devastating consequences, including making it difficult to work, travel and visit family. What makes matters even worse is the emotional toll, according to White.


"There is a huge psychological impact," White said. "A lot of our interviewees mention especially the pain of being separated from family members and not being able to return to their country." 


In the report, Freedom House called on democratic governments to impose sanctions on actors that engage in mobility controls.


White said that democratic governments should do more to help dissidents, including by providing them with alternative travel documents if they can’t obtain them from their home countries. 
Москва

Ликсутов: новые модели гоночных болидов разработали и выпустили в ОЭЗ «Технополис Москва»

Global Leaders in Realistic Dolls – Where Technology Meets Art

China’s EV giants shift gears toward the U.K. as tariff troubles mount in the U.S. and Europe

Trump’s ‘punitive’ China tariffs could end trade between the world’s two largest economies—and that would be painful, volatile, and dangerous

Mike Tyson Didn’t Hesitate When Asked If He Will Fight Again 6 Months On From Jake Paul Loss

Ria.city






Реклама
  • ИП Попов А.П.
  • ИНН: 602715631406
Ревматолог: "13 апреля 2024 в г.Колумбус запущена квота"

Каждый человек с больными суставами имеет право получить...

Read also

£40m striker confirmed as summer transfer target for Man United

Bitcoin jumps as Trump tariff shock rattles global markets

My aging parents are in Hong Kong and I'm in LA. I recently dropped everything to spend 3 months caring for them, leaving my own family behind.

News, articles, comments, with a minute-by-minute update, now on Today24.pro

News Every Day

Mike Tyson Didn’t Hesitate When Asked If He Will Fight Again 6 Months On From Jake Paul Loss

Today24.pro — latest news 24/7. You can add your news instantly now — here


News Every Day

Mike Tyson Didn’t Hesitate When Asked If He Will Fight Again 6 Months On From Jake Paul Loss



Sports today


Новости тенниса
Уимблдон

Елена Рыбакина сделала признание о победе на Уимблдоне



Спорт в России и мире
Москва

«Ак Барс» победил московское «Динамо» в первом матче серии ¼ финала плей-офф КХЛ



All sports news today





Sports in Russia today

Москва

Ликсутов: новые модели гоночных болидов разработали и выпустили в ОЭЗ «Технополис Москва»


Новости России

Game News

Bungie finally shows off post-Destiny extraction shooter Marathon, which will launch in September with signups open for a playtest this month


Russian.city


Москва

Мэр Собянин: Москва открывает набор на Большую арктическую экспедицию


Губернаторы России
Яндекс

Продвижение Песен в Яндекс Музыка. 


Детеныш краснокнижного капуцина плаксы родился в зоопарке Москвы

Заказать Туринадрол 10 Бийск

Орнитолог Мишин: 4-5 забродивших ягод для птицы как ведро алкоголя для человека

Ликсутов: новые модели гоночных болидов разработали в ОЭЗ "Технополис Москва"


В Москве пройдет премьера мюзикла по песням Розенбаума «Вальс-бостон»

Друг Паши Техника Сафронов-Затравкин назвал граффити на стене Цоя вандализмом

Интересные каналы в Telegram. Лучшие каналы в Telegram. Каталог каналов Telegram.

Николай Цискаридзе пригласил ведущую балерину из Коми на экзамены


На следующей неделе Медведев вернется в топ-10 рейтинга ATP

Медведев вернётся в топ-10 рейтинга ATP

Рыбакина рассказала о проблемах после камбэка за Казахстан

Елена Рыбакина сделала признание о победе на Уимблдоне



На стене Цоя на Арбате появилось посвящение Паше Технику

День рождения «Авторадио» в Кремле: магия дуэтов и суперхиты в симфоническом звучании

Москвичей предупредили о штрафах от 3,5 тысячи рублей за повреждение вербы

Шестой сезон международной серии Classic Touring в мае 2025


Участники «Кино» отказались обсуждать захват стены Цоя фанатами Техника

Сергей Собянин рассказал о московских разработках для освоения космоса

Ротация на Радио Русский Шансон

Коррупция, воровство и убийства в вотчине Шойгу


Леус: процессы снеготаяния в Москве уже не остановить

Чистая энергия без добавок: в чем секрет популярности кофе с березовым соком

Без взаимовыручки не обойтись: перспективы международного сотрудничества в космосе

Иран рассказал об условиях ограничения своей ядерной программы



Путин в России и мире






Персональные новости Russian.city
Оркестр

Оркестр Олега Лундстрема представит музыкальный проект к 80-летию Победы



News Every Day

Global Leaders in Realistic Dolls – Where Technology Meets Art




Friends of Today24

Музыкальные новости

Персональные новости