Namibia’s freedom score drops four points – report

Namibia dropped four places in the 2025 Freedom in the World (FITW) report by Freedom House, making it the only free country to lose three or more spots on this index, with a score of 73 out of 100, compared to last year's 77 global freedom rating. The report analyses 25 indicators of citizens' political rights and civil liberties, and its methodology is derived from the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights.The FITW also compared Namibia with more than 65 other countries whose populations went to the polls in 2024, assessing electoral manipulation and election-related violence. Here, Namibia dropped three places – the largest decline among free countries in this ranking. The only larger declines were recorded by El Salvador and Tunisia, both considered partly free, and Kuwait, which is not considered a free country.However, Namibia does not appear to be an exception to the rule, as researchers Yana Gorokhovskaia and Cathryn Grothe noted in the report that freedom has declined globally for the nineteenth consecutive year. According to the report, global violence and conflict have resulted in "a world that is not only less safe but also less free." The report shows that the freedom of 60 countries worldwide has declined, while only 35 countries have been able to improve their freedom.Global decline on the horizonThe report also points to challenges on the horizon."... Under a small but growing group of democracies, elected leaders are attempting to undermine institutions meant to serve as checks on their powers, such as the media, anti-corruption bodies, and the judiciary. Over time, these attacks have the potential to erode political rights and civil liberties," the report warns.The report warns that efforts to undermine the media may take the form of attacks on independent media, such as threats and smear campaigns against journalists, as well as unnecessary (punitive) legal actions taken against journalists for their reporting.Attempts to undermine anti-corruption agencies may appear in the form of efforts to alter anti-corruption legislation. Special anti-corruption forces may also be disbanded, and/or legal proceedings may enable the unchecked abuse of public office. According to the report, these actions result in reduced trust in the government.Undemocratic changes in how judges are professionally disciplined, what issues they may handle, and how judges are appointed may attempt to undermine the judiciary, the report states. - irene-mari@nmh-hub.com.na

Namibia’s freedom score drops four points – report

Comments

Namibian Sun 2025-04-04

Please login to leave a comment

Namibia’s freedom score drops four points – report

Comments

Namibian Sun 2025-04-04

Please login to leave a comment

Login