GENEVA (AN) – The number of parliamentarians that suffered threats and acts of intimidation or faced attacks on their freedom of expression and other rights rose 10% in the past year, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
Among 44 nations a record number of 739 parliamentarians were threatened in 2022, up from 673 during the previous year, the Geneva-based IPU reported in its annual global snapshot on Thursday.
That is a "continuous upward trend" since 2014 in the number of cases examined by a committee on parliamentarian's human rights for the IPU, the global organization that represents 178 member national parliaments.
"The most common violations reported continue to be attacks on MPs’ freedom of expression followed by suspension or loss of parliamentary mandate; threats and acts of intimidation; and lack of a fair trial and other unfair proceedings," it said.
There was a 31% increase in such cases in the Middle East and North Africa, where many of the new cases concerned human rights violations suffered by Tunisian MPs following the dissolution of its Parliament in March 2022.
A sharp increase in threats against women parliamentarians was seen: 137 in 2022, up from 123 last year and almost quadruple the 37 cases just eight years ago.
