Airbornelawyer
12-19-2005, 12:33
Freedom House released its annual rankings today of political rights and civil liberties worldwide. They rate them from 1 to 7, with 7 the worst, in each category. The average is the composite rating. Scores from 1 to 2.5 are considered "free"; from 3 to 5 are "partly free"; and from 5.5 to 7 are "not free."
Some highlights:
The lowest ranked at 7 (i.e. a 7 in both categories) are: Burma, Cuba, Libya, North Korea, Sudan, Syria, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
The second-lowest at 6.5 (i.e. a 7 in one category and a 6 in the other) are Belarus, China, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Laos, Somalia, Saudi Arabia and Zimbabwe. Saudi Arabia is new to this, having climbed up from a 7.
Vietnam, previously a 6.5, improves to a 6, which is still "not free." Iran remains a 6.
To gauge the progress of freedom worldwide, these are the countries whose ratings improved in 2005:
Afghanistan, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Colombia, Georgia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Indonesia, Iraq, Israel, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Liberia, Lithuania, Mauritania, Namibia, Romania, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Trinidad and Tobago, Ukraine and Vietnam.
These are the countries whose ratings fell:
Congo (Brazzaville), Gabon, The Gambia, Guyana, Nepal, The Philippines, Suriname, Thailand, Uzbekistan and Venezuela.
Freedom House's press release is here: http://www.freedomhouse.org/media/pressrel/122005.htm
Charts and rankings are here, in PDF format: http://www.freedomhouse.org/research/freeworld/2006/Charts2006.pdf
Some highlights:
The lowest ranked at 7 (i.e. a 7 in both categories) are: Burma, Cuba, Libya, North Korea, Sudan, Syria, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
The second-lowest at 6.5 (i.e. a 7 in one category and a 6 in the other) are Belarus, China, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Laos, Somalia, Saudi Arabia and Zimbabwe. Saudi Arabia is new to this, having climbed up from a 7.
Vietnam, previously a 6.5, improves to a 6, which is still "not free." Iran remains a 6.
To gauge the progress of freedom worldwide, these are the countries whose ratings improved in 2005:
Afghanistan, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Colombia, Georgia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Indonesia, Iraq, Israel, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Liberia, Lithuania, Mauritania, Namibia, Romania, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Trinidad and Tobago, Ukraine and Vietnam.
These are the countries whose ratings fell:
Congo (Brazzaville), Gabon, The Gambia, Guyana, Nepal, The Philippines, Suriname, Thailand, Uzbekistan and Venezuela.
Freedom House's press release is here: http://www.freedomhouse.org/media/pressrel/122005.htm
Charts and rankings are here, in PDF format: http://www.freedomhouse.org/research/freeworld/2006/Charts2006.pdf