Visible and Invisible Bars - Political imprisonment, civil death, and the consequences of democratic erosion

Political imprisonment and, to some extent, repressive tactics that cause civil death, garner significant attention in regimes with long histories of authoritarianism, such as China, Iran, and North Korea. But, use of these strategies to punish and silence opponents and critics is also pronounced in environments that have more recently experienced democratic erosion. Through our research, we sought to understand how aspiring or recent autocratic leaders suppress individual opponents, and how those methods manifest during periods of democratic degradation. This report examines such dynamics in six countries that underwent significant democratic decline within the last 20 years: Nicaragua, Tanzania, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, and Venezuela.