Watchdog group: Freedom slipped worldwide in 2010

The report surveys 194 countries and 14 territories around the world; Middle East and N Africa remain region with lowest level of freedom.

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Liu Xiaobo protestors_311 (photo credit: Associated Press)
Liu Xiaobo protestors_311
(photo credit: Associated Press)
WASHINGTON  — Twenty-five countries showed significant declines in democracy in 2010 with little serious resistance from the democratic world, the watchdog group Freedom House reported Thursday.
It was the fifth consecutive year that Freedom House has reported a decline in political rights and civil liberties worldwide. "Our adversaries are not just engaging in widespread repression, they are doing so with unprecedented aggressiveness and self-confidence," said David J. Kramer, executive director of the group. "And the democratic community is not rising to the challenge."
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The report's survey of 194 countries and 14 territories around the world found that China, Egypt, Iran, Russia and Venezuela continued to increase repressive measures with little significant resistance from democracies.
The number of electoral democracies dropped to 115, the lowest level since 1995, after reaching a high of 123 in 2005.
"The world's most powerful authoritarian regimes acted with increased brazenness in 2010," the report said. Among examples cited were China pressuring foreign governments to boycott the Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony that honored jailed democracy advocate Liu Xiaobo and Russia's "blatant disregard" for judicial independence in sentencing former oil magnate Mikhail Khordokovsky after a trial widely considered fraudulent.
"Authoritarian regimes will have a much freer hand to silence their domestic critics if there is no resistance from the outside world," said Arch Puddington, director of research at Freedom House in a statement accompanying the annual report.
Eleven countries were credited with noteworthy gains last year but 25 others were cited for showing significant declines. In addition, the report said, the Middle East and North Africa remained the region with the lowest level of freedom while Ukraine and Mexico fell from the Free to the Partly Free category.
Among those countries Freedom House said had improved last year were Kyrgyzstan and Guinea, both of which moved from Not Free to Partly Free after holding comparatively free and fair elections.
The 25 countries listed as declining were Afghanistan, Bahrain, Burundi, Cambodia, Ivory Coast, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Fiji, France, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Hungary, Iran, Kuwait, Latvia, Madagascar, Mexico, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Thailand, Ukraine, Venezuela and Zambia.