Political repression

 Amsterdam police put down anti-lockdown protest on Jan. 2, 2022. (Pierre Crom/Getty Images)

Political repression is the act of a state entity controlling a citizenry by force for political reasons, particularly for the purpose of restricting or preventing the citizenry’s ability to take part in the political life of a society, thereby reducing their standing among their fellow citizens.

It is often manifested through policies such as human rights violations, surveillance abuse, police brutality, imprisonment, involuntary settlement, stripping of citizens’ rights, murder, summary executions, torture, forced disappearance and other extrajudicial punishment of political activists, dissidents, or the general population.

Political abuse, including nepotism, graft, bribery, influence peddling, ignoring constituents, enacting policies harmful to constituents, suppressing constituents and their voices, violates Human Rights 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 26, 28, 29, and 30.