Former President Ernest Bai Koroma joins more than 500 political, civil leaders, Nobel Laureates and pro-democracy institutions in the signing of an open letter to defend democracy.
The open letter initiated by the Stockholm-based International IDEA and the Washington-DC-based National Endowment for Democracy is being supported by 73 pro-democracy institutions as well as political and civic leaders around the world, including 13 Nobel Laureates and 62 former heads of state and government.
The signatories warn that the freedoms we cherish are under threat from governments that are using the crisis to tighten their grip on power.
The letter is aimed at raising awareness and mobilizing citizens and policymakers to protect democracy–recognizing that this is the most effective system for handling global crises while protecting the rights of all citizens, particularly minorities and vulnerable groups.
“The current pandemic represents a formidable global challenge to democracy. Authoritarian leaders around the world see the COVID-19 crisis as a new political battleground in their fight to stigmatize democracy as feeble and reverse its dramatic gains of the past few decades,” the letter states.
The letter further states that “Democracy is under threat, and people who care about it must summon the will, the discipline, and the solidarity to defend it. At stake are the freedom, health, and dignity of people everywhere”.
