Freedom in the World Declines for Ninth Year

• 01.29.2015, 15:11
•  America,  Region,  World,  NKR,  Info

Freedom House has published its annual report "Freedom in the World" on political rights and civil liberties, in which it is shown that during 2014 the more aggressive tactics by authoritarian regimes and the rise of terrorist attacks have contributed to the world freedom decline. The specialists of Freedom House have evaluated the level of freedom of 195 countries and 15 unrecognized territories of the world with the scored from 1 to 7, where 1 is for the most free and 7 for the least free. In the report it is mentioned that an overall drop in the freedom of the world for the ninth year has been recorded.  In the report it is written: "Continuing a recent trend, the worst reversals affected freedom of expression, civil society, and the rule of law."

Out of 195 countries 89 (46%) were rated free, 55 (28%) partially free and 51 (26%) not free.Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh are in the list of partially free countries. Armenia has received 4.5 points (like the previous year): for civil liberties Armenia received 4 and for political rights – 5. The level of political rights and civic liberties in Nagorno-Karabakh was rated 5. Georgia, Ukraine andMoldova are also in the list of partially free countries. Like the previous year our neighbor countryGeorgia received 3 points. 

It is mentioned in the report that several economically powerful or regionally influential countries moved backward, among them Azerbaijan, Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Russia, Thailand, Turkey, andVenezuela. Azerbaijan instead of the last year’s 5.5 points received 6 and was ranked among the Not Free countries. "The rating of Azerbaijan’s civil liberties dropped from 6 to 5, which is due to the government’s ongoing violations of rights," – is written in the report. Russia is also among the Not free countries, receiving 6 points instead of 5.5 of the previous year. 

As for Turkey, though with its 3.5 points (as the previous year) is included among partially free countries, it is one of the countries that received a downward trend arrow "due to more pronounced political interference in anticorruption mechanisms and judicial processes, and greater tensions between majority Sunni Muslims and minority Alevis."