WASHINGTON: At least 55 governments around the world are using travel restrictions as part of their repressive tactics against perceived political opponents, according to a report released on Thursday.

Revoking citizenship, imposing travel bans, confiscating passports and denying consular services are among the methods used by authoritarian regimes to restrict the freedom of movement of people seen as a threat, according to Freedom House, which issued the report.

The report was compiled in part based on interviews with 31 people from Belarus, India, Nicaragua, Rwanda and Saudi Arabia who “experienced mobility controls firsthand,” Freedom House said.

The governments cited in the report use at least one of these four methods in retribution for political activism or dissent, the US nonprofit dedicated to promoting democracy said.

“Authoritarians are looking for any possible means to deter perceived opponents from speaking out,” said Nicole Bibbins Sedaca, interim president of Freedom House. “Without more awareness and concerted efforts by the international community to address movement restrictions, political imprisonment, and transnational repression, the use of these tactics to muzzle dissent and violate fundamental rights will only grow,” Sedaca said.—AFP