Freedom in the Multiverse
Make sure to answer honestly. Questions are freeform, a simple yes or no may not always suffice.
Nation: the People's Republic of Aryax
A1. Was the current head of government or other chief national authority elected through free and fair elections? The National President is both head of state and head of government, and it is elected by the People's Assembly, according to constitutional procedure. The National President then chooses a Cabinet, which forms the executive branch. Stanislav Tyrankov, who is serving a five-year term, firmly dominates the People's Revolutionary Movement (PRM), the sole legal party. Elections for the People's Assembly are tightly controlled as is the selection of a new National President, with positions being decided in advance in intraparty congresses.
A2. Were the current national legislative representatives elected through free and fair elections? The People's Assembly is elected every five years. All candidates are preselected by the PRM and run unopposed. Every citizen aged 18 or more is eligible to vote. Turnouts are typically very high, at over 90%, but voting is mandatory.
A3. Are the electoral laws and framework fair, and are they implemented impartially by the relevant election management bodies? There is a clear legal framework to conduct elections, but it is carefully tailored to deny any genuine alternative to the PRM. Voting is mandatory, and the government closely tracks voting behavior - rejection of its preferred candidates leads to harsh persecution. Subnational delegates and councils are appointed vertically by the national government; similarly, mayors and municipal councils are appointed by the respective provincial council.
B1. Do the people have the right to organize in different political parties or other competitive political groupings of their choice, and is the system free of undue obstacles to the rise and fall of these competing parties or groupings? Aryax is a one-party state where the ruling PRM holds a legal and practical monopoly on political power and does not tolerate any opposition or deviation from the official line.
B2. Is there a realistic opportunity for the opposition to increase its support or gain power through elections? The current political elite took power by force. Any dissent is outlawed and results in extreme punishments. Tyrankov continues to expand its already firm control over the PRM to prevent intraparty challenges, and benefits from a growing cult of personality.
B3. Are the people’s political choices free from domination by forces that are external to the political sphere, or by political forces that employ extrapolitical means? Political participation outside the PRM is largely impossible, and citizens in general can not influence governmental decisions. A small elite increasingly centered around Tyrankov dominates the PRM and controls all institutions. Purges in these political structures often take place, removing all officials that may be a threat to the leadership.
B4. Do various segments of the population (including ethnic, religious, gender, LGBT, and other relevant groups) have full political rights and electoral opportunities? No segment of the population enjoys any political rights. In practice, the interests of women are not addressed by the political system. The LGBT collective and religious groups are subject to extremely severe repression and can not organize politically.
C1. Do the freely elected head of government and national legislative representatives determine the policies of the government? No officials are freely elected at any level. The People's Assembly plays a minimal role in crafting policies, which are all set backstage by Tyrankov and his close allies and then rubber-stamped. Free debate within the PRM is impeded by a growing cult of personality around Tyrankov.
C2. Are safeguards against official corruption strong and effective? Corruption is pervasive and may sap as much as 20% of the national GDP. The few anticorruption efforts in place are heavily politicized, and often used as an excuse for purging PRM elites and increasing popular support in key moments. In fact, selective government tolerance of corruption is used to reward elite loyalty.
C3. Does the government operate with openness and transparency? The government is not accountable to the public. Even basic information about institutional operations is treated as a state secret. Official figures are known to be distorted to match the regime's ideological goals.
D1. Are there free and independent media? The state holds a legal monopoly on all domestic media outlets, which are heavily censored. Foreign broadcasts are barely accessible from within the country, and consumption of foreign media can be met with serious consequences. Private outlets do not exist even on the national intranet, while the global internet is subject to a government-controlled whitelist that denies any access to foreign media or content-creation platforms.
D2. Are individuals free to practice and express their religious faith or nonbelief in public and private? Intense state indoctrination precludes freedom of religion. Vaguely worded laws allow the state to crack down on any unauthorized religious activity; none are tolerated in practice. Thousands of religious believers are thought to have been killed by the state through mass internment in specialized prison camps for immediate execution. Proselytizing foreigners can face execution too.
D3. Is there academic freedom, and is the educational system free from extensive political indoctrination? The state must approve all curriculums and controls all educational institutions. The education system in general is marred by corruption, political indoctrination, discriminatory curricula and bureaucratic obstacles. Other intrusive controls include the use of informants.
D4. Are individuals free to express their personal views on political or other sensitive topics without fear of surveillance or retribution? A climate of fear surrounds private discussion and much of everyday life. The state operates an enormous surveillance apparatus that includes a huge number of informants, supported by the tagging of the population with unique ID chips. These chips support a Social Credit System that ranks citizens according to their political and non-political behavior. All communications are strictly monitored and isolated from global networks.
E1. Is there freedom of assembly? Freedom of assembly does not exist. The police and security services routinely break up unauthorized groups of more than three people and arrest participants. Organizing protests is extremely difficult and even spontaneous ones are almost non-existant in the face of overwhelming police and security presences and severe penalties.
E2. Is there freedom for non governmental organizations, particularly those that are engaged in human rights– and governance-related work? All organizations must be created by the state or the PRM. No true NGOs operate in Aryax.
E3. Is there freedom for trade unions and similar professional or labor organizations? Strikes, collective bargaining, or any organized labor activity is illegal.
F1. Is there an independent judiciary? The judiciary is controlled by the government both in law and in practice.
F2. Does due process prevail in civil and criminal matters? The rule of law is virtually non-existant. Vague offenses such as "anticonstitutional activities" criminalize an enormous range of activities and are enforced arbitrarily. Almost all detentions are carried abduction-style in conditions that amount to forced disappearences. Up to 1% of the population (70,000 people) may be imprisoned or in labor camps for political reasons. The powerful Ministry of State Security (MGB), the secret and political police, readily uses extralegal tactics to crush dissent. The state maintains a system of labor camps, located underground to avoid satellite imagery. Some have allegedly been transformed into extermination centres where detainees, mostly religious believers and LGBT people, are secretly executed upon arrival.
F3. Is there protection from the illegitimate use of physical force and freedom from war and insurgencies? Aryax is free from war and insurgencies and the crime rate is extremely low, but state actors commit atrocities with absolute impunity. Torture, forced labor, starvation and other gruesome abuses are routine in labor camps. The state often carries public, private and extralegal executions.
F4. Do laws, policies, and practices guarantee equal treatment of various segments of the population? Harsh discrimination is prevalent throughout daily life, and it is mainly based on political reliability and ideological conformity. Citizens are classified according to their behavior through a Social Credit System. The state actively seeks to destroy religious groups and dismantle the LGBT community. Women do not enjoy legal equality and face widespread discrimination: article 14 of the Constitution calls for gender equality only "within the limits of basic biology", and laws banning "gender supremacy", "false reporting of a crime" and "anticonstitutional activities" compound the problem.
G1. Do individuals enjoy freedom of movement, including the ability to change their place of residence, employment, or education? There are multiple draconian restrictions on freedom of movement. A citizen's Social Credit score affects his or her place of residence, employment and educational opportunities, and access to medical facilities and stores. Furthermore, changing place of residence, employment or education requires state approval, which largely depends on said Social Credit score. The state imposes a nationwide curfew and private motorized vehicles are banned, ostensibly for environmental reasons. Forced resettlement is also common. Internal travel requires prior explicit authorization and foreign travel is strictly controlled through a draconian exit visa system. Regulations define "illegal emigration" as treason.
G2. Are individuals able to exercise the right to own property and establish private businesses without undue interference from state or nonstate actors? Private property is not recognized, and the state owns all land and legally controls all economic activity.
G3. Do individuals enjoy personal social freedoms, including choice of marriage partner and size of family, protection from domestic violence, and control over appearance? Social freedoms are limited. Same-sexual activity is illegal, and state permission is required to marry a foreign citizen. Objectification and sexual harassment of women are rife. Women are also disproportionately affected by laws governing dress codes.
G4. Do individuals enjoy equality of opportunity and freedom from economic exploitation? Forced labor is common in detention camps and mass mobilization programs, even for children. A command economy and rampant corruption further diminish equality of opportunity.