This is not the COVID-19 tracking map. This is the Global Press Freedom map by the Freedom House. The deterioration of speech freedom is not less contagious than the COVID-19 pandemic. The Arab spring is a term used to refer to the wave of the revolution sparked in 2011 against dictatorship regimes in the Middle East and Africa. Countries of low immunity and fragile like Libya, Yemen, and Egypt are the most vulnerable and should not underestimate the influence of their neighboring countries that are still governed by authoritarian policy such as Saudi Arabia. An alarming sign of the speech freedom recession unfolded in the tragic incident of assassinating Saudi Journalist Jamal Khashoggi; a journalist working for The Washington Post. He was targeted by the Saudi government; because of his writings against the government.
As looking at the map published by Freedom House website on freedom of the press 2019, I can see the world map reflecting on the survey scores with red shades from light red to dark red. It reminded me of the COVID-19 world status tracker. The area around the darkest shade is all red, yet the farthest from those red locations, the more the shade gets lighter. The survey asked people if there are free and independent media. On a scale of zero to four from worst to best, Saudi Arabia scored zero as worst in free and independent media as well as influencing Yemen to score zero too. Egypt and Libya scored one point better than Saudi Arabia; however, Egypt and Libya still behind the highest score.
According to the 2020 World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders, Libya rank is 164 out of 180 countries, and it significantly declined in comparison to 2013 in which Libya scored 131. The only provided ranking is from the year 2013 to 2020; however, 2012 and 2013 are the first years of the Arab spring countries after their uprise that took place in 2011. In other words, this indicates the reduction of press freedom to reach its worst rank by 2020. On the other hand, Saudi Arabia scores 172 out of 180 countries in 2020.
Finally, assuming a world that is COVID-19 free, people would not need to cover their mouth and wear masks. So as well, a world in which freedom of speech is respected, people would not need to shut their mouth and fear to speak up. Repression of speech freedom is a virus, and people should immune themselves and be aware of their rights to defeat the disease. As long as this disease is spreading around, the Arab spring countries will be threatened, and the Arab Spring will definitely be Arab Autumn, as some people call it these days.
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About the Author: Rima Ashawesh is a current first year MPAC student. She is an experienced Program Development and Grants Specialist and completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Language from University of Tripoli in Libya. She has a passion for peace making and worked on varied projects in Libya on empowering women, supporting civil society organizations and promoting peace and unity.
Featured Image Credit: Freedom House
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