Students and activists gathered at Rowan University this past Monday morning for Voices of Dissent, the latest one-day event of the College Freedom Forum (CFF), to confront one urgent issue: how authoritarian regimes worldwide are silencing voices and eroding free speech.
The event, held in the Eynon Ballroom of the Chamberlain Student Center and hosted by both the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) and the Ric Edelman College of Communication, Humanities, and Social Sciences, featured international speakers who shared firsthand accounts of living under authoritarian regimes as well as the importance of defending human rights and democratic values.
“Authoritarian regimes commit some of the most egregious human rights violations on the planet,” said Elle Ota, the program officer for HRF. “From rigged elections to violent crackdowns, journalists are often the first targets.”
According to HRF, more than 70% of the world’s population lives under some form of authoritarian rule, a statistic that organizers said underscores the urgency of the conversation.
The forum was broken up into three sessions: “Journalism in the Face of Authoritarianism,” “The Global Crisis of Political Prisoners,” and “International Women’s Rights in the Digital Age.” Each session included a keynote speaker, remarks from a faculty member, and a fireside chat and Q&A session with the keynote speaker, moderated by a Rowan professor.
One of the event’s keynote speakers, Raqib Hameed Naik, a Kashmiri journalist living in exile in the United States, shared his experience reporting under India’s growing restrictions on the press. Naik, now the executive director of the Center for the Study of Organized Hate in Washington, D.C., described how state censorship and online harassment forced him to flee his home in 2019.
“Leaving wasn’t a choice, it was survival,” said Naik. “You can’t fight hate when your voice is being erased.”
The Center for the Study of Organized Hate now tracks patterns of hate speech and propaganda across India, documenting the growing link between politics and online extremism. In its most recent reports, the center found that hate speech incidents increased by 74% from 2023 to 2024, with many of those statements coming directly from elected officials.
“Hate begins with words. Every genocide in history began with speech,” said Naik. His warning highlights a pattern that extends far beyond India, showing how the erosion of press freedom can signal deeper threats to democracy worldwide.
Other keynote speakers included Rodrigo Diamanti, a Venezuelan human rights advocate, and Roya Mahboob, an Afghan tech entrepreneur who also co-founded the Afghan Citadel Software Company (ACSC).
Debbie Sharnak, an associate professor of history at Rowan University, helped bridge Naik’s experiences to global patterns of democratic decline. Her analysis underscores that while overt military dictatorships may be easier to identify, modern authoritarian regimes often operate subtly, blending democratic elements with repression.
“Censorship is often the first domino to fall,” said Dr. Sharnak. “Once the press is silenced, accountability disappears and fear takes its place.”
The first of the fireside chats was led by Dr. Lawrence Markowitz, a professor of political science at Rowan University, who sat down with Naik and explored how authoritarian regimes operate under the guise of democracy.
“Today’s regimes look less like military dictatorships and more like democracies on paper,” said Markowitz. “They use digital surveillance, misinformation, and fear to keep power.”
Markowitz’s comments highlighted the evolving nature of authoritarianism and the importance of vigilance, even in countries with democratic institutions.
Before the end of his session, Naik urged audience members to recognize the power of their voices from afar, reminding them that defending freedom of expression is not just a local responsibility but a global one.
“Authoritarianism thrives on silence,” said Naik. “When you speak up, even from halfway across the world, you’re defending the freedom of others and your own.”
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