What is the significance of freedom in the context of liberation?

According to Osho, freedom is the very criterion of liberation: without protecting and expanding individual freedom, so‑called revolutions merely replace one slavery with another. Power corrupts liberators into tyrants, silencing dissent to secure control. Genuine liberation honors individuality, permits criticism, and resists centralization; whenever freedom is curtailed, 'liberation' becomes a lie.

Real liberation means you are truly free; if your freedom is taken away, it’s just a new kind of prison.