Azerbaijan behind neighbors on press freedom, watchdog claims
Azerbaijan remains behind neighboring states on press freedom, US
watchdog Freedom House claimed Thursday.
The country ranked 79th out of 196 countries in the group’s Press Freedom 2010 report. However, Azerbaijan’s neighbors in the South Caucasus region – Georgia and Armenia – were rated 59th and 66th respectively.
Overall, press freedom worldwide lost ground for an eighth straight year in 2009, the non-governmental watchdog’s report said, according to the AFP. The largest losses were registered in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Middle East and North Africa.
The Asia-Pacific region, in contrast, was the only one where overall progress was made in the year, Freedom House said.
Iran saw the worst decline in the Middle East and North Africa. North African nations lost ground, the report said.
Israel was one of the region's few outposts of progress; it regained "free" status after it ended restrictions imposed after the war in Gaza in late 2008.
In Latin America, the worst cases of lost ground were seen in Mexico and Honduras, while the situation also worsened for news people in Ecuador, Nicaragua and Venezuela.
In Asia, Bangladesh and Bhutan moved from "not free" to "partly free." And there were improvements in six other countries including India and Indonesia, but not China.
Russia, according to Freedom House, "remained among the world's more repressive and most dangerous media environments."
The 10 countries Freedom House deemed worst in 2009 on press freedom were Belarus, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, North Korea, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.*
The country ranked 79th out of 196 countries in the group’s Press Freedom 2010 report. However, Azerbaijan’s neighbors in the South Caucasus region – Georgia and Armenia – were rated 59th and 66th respectively.
Overall, press freedom worldwide lost ground for an eighth straight year in 2009, the non-governmental watchdog’s report said, according to the AFP. The largest losses were registered in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Middle East and North Africa.
The Asia-Pacific region, in contrast, was the only one where overall progress was made in the year, Freedom House said.
Iran saw the worst decline in the Middle East and North Africa. North African nations lost ground, the report said.
Israel was one of the region's few outposts of progress; it regained "free" status after it ended restrictions imposed after the war in Gaza in late 2008.
In Latin America, the worst cases of lost ground were seen in Mexico and Honduras, while the situation also worsened for news people in Ecuador, Nicaragua and Venezuela.
In Asia, Bangladesh and Bhutan moved from "not free" to "partly free." And there were improvements in six other countries including India and Indonesia, but not China.
Russia, according to Freedom House, "remained among the world's more repressive and most dangerous media environments."
The 10 countries Freedom House deemed worst in 2009 on press freedom were Belarus, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, North Korea, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.*
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