Democracy News

Freedom House Releases “Freedom of the World 2011”
January 20, 2011        
Carlos Aramayo | Printer Friendly

The Washington DC-based democracy support organization Freedom House, whose mission is to “protect and promote freedom around the World,” issued its annual Freedom in the World 2011 report. The study highlighted the fact that global freedom has been in decline for the past 5 years. This represents the longest negative cycle since the survey’s inception. The report showcases the downward spiral that civil liberties and freedom are experiencing throughout the globe.

The study indicated the Middle East has the worst record in terms of political and civil liberties. It also states that, “25 countries have showed significant declines in freedom last year, compared to 11 countries that showed gains.” In addition, the report found that, “the number of countries designated as Free fell from 89 to 87, and the number of electoral democracies dropped to 115, far below the 2005 figure of 123.”

Moreover, the report highlights the increasing oppressive and heavy-handed tactics employed by authoritarian regimes in crushing dissent and limiting the political space of any opposition. As examples, the study cites Russian, Iranian, Venezuelan and Egyptian measures taken to mold democratic elections in their favor. The report cites China’s aggressive behavior toward the Nobel Prize Committee for granting the Nobel Peace Prize to dissident Liu Xiaobo and Russia’s recent sentencing of Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky.

David J. Kramer, Executive Director of Freedom House stated that, “This should be a wake-up call for all of the world’s democracies,” and emphasized the fact that democratic countries around the world are “not rising to the challenge” to confront these dictatorial conclaves whose actions are undermining democratic processes and institutions.

The report also downgrades Mexico’s status, from "Free" to "Partly Free" citing the drug related crime wave and the fragile government response as the main reason. Ukraine also dropped in the rankings to "Partly Free," due to reports of "deteriorating levels of press freedom, instances of election fraud, and growing politicization of the judiciary."

On a positive note Kyrgyzstan and Guinea rose ranks from "Not Free" to "Partly Free" since both countries have held "comparatively free and fair elections."

The Freedom in the World 2011 report has been published since 1972; it examines the ability that individuals have to exercise their political and civil rights in 194 countries.

Sources:
Report Authoritarian Regimes continue to suppress World Freedom.

Freedom in the World 2011: The Authoritarian Challenge to Democracy