Freedom House: press in Armenia still not free
2009-05-02 13:02:00
ArmInfo. Press is still not free in Armenia, says annual report by
Freedom House ‘Freedom in the World 2009’.
Freedom in the World 2009 examines the state of freedom in all 193
countries and 16 strategic territories. The survey analyzes
developments that occurred in 2008 and assigns each country a freedom
status – either Free, Partly Free or Not Free based on a scoring of
performance in key freedoms. In Armenia like in the whole region,
Freedom House registered regress in press freedom. Last year Armenia
occupied the 144th position this year it was down 7 positions to the
151st position neighboring with Singapore. The report highlights that
as continuation of the emergency situation announced in Armenia in
Parch 2008, the government had subjected Mass Media to strong
censorship and created obstacles to the activity of local and foreign
journalists. In addition, the authorities imposed a moratorium on new
broadcast licenses, further reducing the prospects for greater media
pluralism, the report says.
The overview includes an analysis of changes during the Bush
Administration and suggests priorities for the incoming Obama
Administration and the leaders of other established democracies. The
survey firmly rejects the premise that engaging with authoritarian
leaders means ignoring their policies of domestic repression.
"At a time when democracy’s antagonists are increasingly assertive and
its supporters are in disarray, the new administration must focus on
the need to protect fundamental freedoms and support the frontline
defenders and advocates," said Jennifer Windsor, Freedom House
executive director. The Taiwan Foundation for Democracy will host an
event on the survey’s findings in Taipei, Taiwan January 13 at 9 a.m.
at the Far Eastern Plaza Hotel. Taiwan was chosen as the locale for the
release because of its strategic position in Asia, not only
geographically and economically, but also as one of its most vibrant
democracies. Although setbacks in 2008 did not represent substantial
declines for most countries, setbacks were numerous and affected most
regions. Overall, 34 countries registered declines in freedom and 14
registered improvements.
Three countries saw declines in scores that resulted in status changes:
Afghanistan, which moved from Partly Free to Not Free; Mauritania,
Partly Free to Not Free; and Senegal, Free to Partly Free. Three
countries, all from South Asia, moved from Not Free to Partly Free:
Pakistan, Maldives and Bhutan. Two countries in Western Europe-Italy
and Greece-experienced modest declines. Key global findings include:
Free: The number of countries judged by Freedom in the World as Free
in 2008 stands at 89, representing 46 percent of the world’s countries
and 46 percent of the global population. The number of Free countries
declined by one from 2007.
Partly Free: The number of Partly Free countries is 62, or 32 percent
of all countries assessed by the survey and 20 percent of the world’s
total population. The number of Partly Free countries
increased by two.
Not Free: The report designates 42 countries as Not Free,
representing 22 percent of the total number of countries and 34 percent
of the world population. Nearly 60 percent of this number lives in
China. The number of Not Free countries declined by one.
Electoral Democracies: The number of electoral democracies dropped by
two and stands at 119. Developments in Mauritania, Georgia, Venezuela
and Central African Republic disqualified them
from the electoral democracy list, while Bosnia-Herzegovina and
Bangladesh became electoral democracies.
Key regional findings include:
Worst of the Worst: Of the 42 countries designated Not Free, eight
received the survey’s lowest possible ranking for both political rights
and civil liberties: North Korea, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Libya,
Sudan, Burma, Equatorial Guinea and Somalia. Two territories are in the
same category: Tibet and Chechnya. Eleven other countries and
territories received scores that were slightly better: Belarus, Chad,
China, Cuba, Eritrea, Laos, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Zimbabwe, South
Ossetia and Western Sahara.
Sub-Saharan Africa: Twelve countries and one territory-about
one-fourth of the regional total- experienced setbacks in 2008. In
addition to Senegal and Mauritania, declines were also registered in
Burundi, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea,
Gabon, Gambia, Guinea, Namibia, Nigeria, Zimbabwe and Somaliland. The
region’s downturn comes after several years of modest improvement.
Positive developments include gains in Zambia, Comoros, Angola and Cote
d’Ivoire.
Asia: The most significant progress occurred in South Asia, where
several countries saw improvements linked to elections. In addition to
significant improvements in Pakistan, Maldives and
Bhutan, some progress was also seen in Nepal, Kashmir, Malaysia and
Thailand. Declines were registered in Afghanistan, Burma, Fiji, Papua
New Guinea, Singapore and Tibet. China increased repression instead of
delivering human rights reforms pledged in connection to hosting the
Summer Olympics.
Former Soviet Union/Central and Eastern Europe: Non-Baltic countries
of the former Soviet Union continued their decade-long decline, now
ranking below Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East on several survey
indicators. Russia and Georgia, which went to war over South Ossetia,
were among the region’s notable declines, as well as Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan and Moldova. Democracy in Central and Eastern
Europe remains strong, despite setbacks in Bulgaria and Macedonia.
Middle East/North Africa: After several years of modest gains earlier
in the decade, the Middle East/North Africa is now experiencing
stagnation. Iraq is the only country to show improvement
because of reductions in violence, political terror and
government-sponsored Shia militias, although it retains its Not Free
status. Jordan, Bahrain, Iran, the Palestinian Authority and the
Israeli-Occupied Territories also declined.
Americas: The region managed to maintain its democratic character
despite economic concerns, an increase in violent crime in some
countries and the rise of populist demagogues. Paraguay and Cuba saw
improvements in 2008, although the Castro government continues to be
one of the world’s most repressive regimes. Colombia, Nicaragua, Mexico
and Venezuela were among the countries registering declines.
Western Europe and North America: The region continues to earn the
highest scores in Freedom in the World. The election of Barack Obama as
U.S. president could lead to reforms of problematic counterterrorism
policies. Two European countries experienced declines in 2008: Italy
and Greece. The survey also voices concern about potential threats to
freedom of expression in Canada and Great Britain.
Freedom House, an independent nongovernmental organization that
supports the expansion of freedom in the world, has been monitoring
olitical rights and civil liberties worldwide since 1972.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress