Around the world today, one in three people lives under an authoritarian regime, while many others are experiencing a decline in their democratic freedoms. But the slide towards autocracy has pushed millions to stand up and demand a say in how their lives are governed. TIME spoke with four people who have fought to defend democracy in their countries, about what inspired them and what it takes: Armenia: Nikol Pashinyan Opposition politician who led the protests that toppled Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan in April and shortly after became the nation’s leader It was love for my people that forced me to get out of my comfortable office as head of a parliamentary faction and spend about 20 nights in the woods, the streets, in a tent, in protest at the government led by Serzh Sargsyan.