Fewer free countries in 2009: Freedom House
Civil freedoms around the world lost ground for the
fourth straight year in 2009 with Iraq improving, Afghanistan
falling back and China acting as if it were under siege by its own
citizens, Reuters quoted US rights watchdog Freedom House as saying
on Tuesday.
Bahrain, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Yemen moved into "not free" category, raising the total to 47 from 42 in 2008. The number of electoral democracies fell from 119 to 116, the lowest since 1995.
Eighty-nine countries were designated "free" and 58 "partly free" in the report issued by the Freedom House.
The four-year deterioration marked the longest decline since Freedom House began its annual survey in 1972.
The report cited also "growing paranoia of even the largest and most headstrong" of the world's authoritarian powers.
"No country can compete in this respect with China, which - despite its waxing economic and military prowess - behaves as if it were under siege by its own citizens," the report said.
"It's a problem, especially in Africa. Some of these authoritarian countries have an option - they don't have to carry out reforms that the United States or Europe might be demanding," it said.
Freedom House, whose impartiality has lately been rather dubious, has included Azerbaijan in the list of "not free" countries. Georgia, Armenia and Turkey – the South Caucasus republic’s neighbors, were rated as "partly free". Two other neighbors of Azerbaijan – Russia and Iran – ranked "not free".*
Bahrain, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Yemen moved into "not free" category, raising the total to 47 from 42 in 2008. The number of electoral democracies fell from 119 to 116, the lowest since 1995.
Eighty-nine countries were designated "free" and 58 "partly free" in the report issued by the Freedom House.
The four-year deterioration marked the longest decline since Freedom House began its annual survey in 1972.
The report cited also "growing paranoia of even the largest and most headstrong" of the world's authoritarian powers.
"No country can compete in this respect with China, which - despite its waxing economic and military prowess - behaves as if it were under siege by its own citizens," the report said.
"It's a problem, especially in Africa. Some of these authoritarian countries have an option - they don't have to carry out reforms that the United States or Europe might be demanding," it said.
Freedom House, whose impartiality has lately been rather dubious, has included Azerbaijan in the list of "not free" countries. Georgia, Armenia and Turkey – the South Caucasus republic’s neighbors, were rated as "partly free". Two other neighbors of Azerbaijan – Russia and Iran – ranked "not free".*
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