Freedom House claims Azeri media
International rights watchdog Freedom House has
rated Azerbaijan as a country which is "not free" in its 2008
review of media freedom worldwide, alongside a number of other
former Soviet republics.
The study, released on Friday, placed the South Caucasus republic 168th out of 195 countries. Tajikistan received the same rating.
Freedom House claimed that Azerbaijan is behind its neighbors - Armenia and Georgia - on media freedom. However, Armenia was also regarded as "not free" and ranked 144th, while the other South Caucasus state was rated "partly free" and stood 128th.
Azerbaijan`s other neighbors were rated as "not free" as well. Russia and Kazakhstan both ranked 170th, while Iran - 185th, and Turkmenistan 193rd.
Christopher Walker, the director of studies at Freedom House, said that some of the developments that took place in Azerbaijan last year had caught the international spotlight. Several journalists had been arrested due to their work but later released, he said.
Walker praised the release of journalists in Azerbaijan, but maintained that restrictions on the activity of the local media persist. He recalled that foreign radio stations - Radio Liberty, Voice of America and the BBC - were removed from the national airwaves on January 1, 2009.
Finland was the best media freedom performer, while North Korea was the worst, according to Freedom House.
Western Europe boasted the highest level of press freedom, although Italy slipped into the partly free category with free speech limited by courts and libel laws and concerns over the concentration of media ownership.
Israel and Hong Kong also slipped from free to partly free status in 2008.
Among the worst-rated states were Belarus, China, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Iran, Laos, Libya, Myanmar, the Palestinian territories, Rwanda, Uzbekistan and Zimbabwe.
Freedom House said the largest drop in press freedom occurred in Central and Eastern Europe with journalists murdered in Bulgaria and Croatia, assaulted in Bosnia and denied judicial protection in Russia.
The Middle East and North Africa continued to have the lowest level of press freedom, the rights watchdog said.
Overall, the group concluded that press freedom declined around the world last year. 70 countries, or 36 percent of all states and territories covered in the Freedom House study, were rated "free," 61 (31 percent), were rated "partly free" and 64 (33 percent) were rated "not free."
Further, 56 percent of the world`s population lives in countries that are not free, it said.
Freedom House, which is funded by the US government and private groups, has been conducting annual studies of press freedom since 1980.
The study, released on Friday, placed the South Caucasus republic 168th out of 195 countries. Tajikistan received the same rating.
Freedom House claimed that Azerbaijan is behind its neighbors - Armenia and Georgia - on media freedom. However, Armenia was also regarded as "not free" and ranked 144th, while the other South Caucasus state was rated "partly free" and stood 128th.
Azerbaijan`s other neighbors were rated as "not free" as well. Russia and Kazakhstan both ranked 170th, while Iran - 185th, and Turkmenistan 193rd.
Christopher Walker, the director of studies at Freedom House, said that some of the developments that took place in Azerbaijan last year had caught the international spotlight. Several journalists had been arrested due to their work but later released, he said.
Walker praised the release of journalists in Azerbaijan, but maintained that restrictions on the activity of the local media persist. He recalled that foreign radio stations - Radio Liberty, Voice of America and the BBC - were removed from the national airwaves on January 1, 2009.
Finland was the best media freedom performer, while North Korea was the worst, according to Freedom House.
Western Europe boasted the highest level of press freedom, although Italy slipped into the partly free category with free speech limited by courts and libel laws and concerns over the concentration of media ownership.
Israel and Hong Kong also slipped from free to partly free status in 2008.
Among the worst-rated states were Belarus, China, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Iran, Laos, Libya, Myanmar, the Palestinian territories, Rwanda, Uzbekistan and Zimbabwe.
Freedom House said the largest drop in press freedom occurred in Central and Eastern Europe with journalists murdered in Bulgaria and Croatia, assaulted in Bosnia and denied judicial protection in Russia.
The Middle East and North Africa continued to have the lowest level of press freedom, the rights watchdog said.
Overall, the group concluded that press freedom declined around the world last year. 70 countries, or 36 percent of all states and territories covered in the Freedom House study, were rated "free," 61 (31 percent), were rated "partly free" and 64 (33 percent) were rated "not free."
Further, 56 percent of the world`s population lives in countries that are not free, it said.
Freedom House, which is funded by the US government and private groups, has been conducting annual studies of press freedom since 1980.
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