The state of freedom declined for the eighth consecutive
year in 2013, according to Freedom in the World
2014, Freedom House’s annual country-by-country report on
global political rights and civil liberties.
Particularly notable were developments in Egypt,
which endured across-the-board reversals in its democratic institutions
following a military coup. There were also serious setbacks to democratic
rights in other large, politically influential countries, including Russia,
Ukraine, Azerbaijan,
Turkey, Venezuela,
and Indonesia.
Findings of the 41st edition of Freedom in the World, the oldest, most
authoritative report of democracy and human rights, include:
§
Fifty-four countries showed overall declines in political
rights and civil liberties, compared with 40 that showed gains.
§
For the eighth consecutive year, Freedom in the World recorded more
declines in democracy worldwide than gains.
§
Some leaders effectively relied on “modern
authoritarianism,” crippling their political opposition without annihilating
it, and flouting the rule of law while maintaining a veneer of order,
legitimacy, and prosperity.
§
Central to modern authoritarians is the capture of
institutions that undergird political pluralism. They seek to dominate not only
the executive and legislative branches, but also the media, judiciary, civil
society, economy, and security forces.
There were some positive signs for the year:
- Civil liberties improved in Tunisia, the
most promising of the Arab Spring countries.
- Pakistan showed gains due to successful
elections and an orderly rotation of power.
- In Africa, gains occurred in Mali, Côte
d’Ivoire, Senegal, Madagascar, Rwanda, Togo, and Zimbabwe.
- The addition of Honduras, Kenya, Nepal,
and Pakistan raised the number of electoral democracies to 122.
Worst of the Worst: Ten countries were given the lowest possible rating of 7 for both political
rights and civil liberties.
Central
African Republic
|
Somalia
|
Equatorial
Guinea
|
Sudan
|
Eritrea
|
Syria
|
North
Korea
|
Turkmenistan
|
Saudi
Arabia
|
Uzbekistan
|
Middle
East & North Africa Middle East and North Africa
The Middle East and North Africa registered the worst civil liberties
scores of any region. Gains: Iraq’s political rights
rating improved as the result of greater political activity by opposition
parties during provincial elections, and Tunisia earned an increase in its
civil liberties rating. Declines: Egypt saw its status
decline from Partly Free to Not Free. The Gaza Strip received a decline in its
political rights rating.
Sub-Saharan Africa
In recent years, sub-Saharan Africa has been the most
politically volatile region, with major democratic breakthroughs in some
countries, and coups, insurgencies, and authoritarian crackdowns in others.
This trend continued in 2013. Gains: Mali
moved from Not Free to Partly Free due to successful elections and an improved
security situation in the north. Côte d’Ivoire,
Madagascar, Rwanda,
Senegal, Togo,
and Zimbabwe
all saw ratings improvements. Declines: The Central African
Republic dropped from Partly Free to Not Free because of
a rebellion that ousted the president and parliament and suspended the
constitution, and Sierra Leone’s
status declined from Free to Partly Free due to persistent problems with
corruption. Ratings declines were also seen in South Sudan and Uganda.
Eurasia
Eurasia continues to be one of the most repressive areas
in the world. Three of its countries—Belarus,
Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan—are
among the worst-rated. Russia
intensified domestic persecution of political opponents and vulnerable minority
groups in 2013. Gains: None. Declines: Azerbaijan
suffered a downgrade in its civil liberties rating due to blatant property
rights violations by the government.
Asia-Pacific
China became
increasingly intolerant of dissent in 2013, as officials expanded the
criminalization of online speech and police arrested dozens of activists who
had advocated anticorruption reforms. Gains: Bhutan,
Japan, Maldives,
Papua New Guinea, and Tonga
all registered improvements. Declines: Indonesia’s
status declined from Free to Partly Free due to a new law restricting the
activities of nongovernmental organizations. South
Korea registered a downgrade in its
political rights rating.
Americas
The death in March 2013 of Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez brought early hopes
of improvements in the country’s political rights and civil liberties environment.
However, his successor, Nicolás Maduro, further weakened the independent media,
reduced the opposition’s ability to serve as a check on government policy, and
made threats to civil society groups. Gains: Nicaragua’s
political rights and civil liberties ratings improved due consultations on
proposed constitutional reforms, gradual improvements for the rights of women,
and advances in efforts to combat human trafficking. Declines: The Dominican
Republic and Panama
suffered declines due to the stripping of citizenship from Dominicans of
Haitian descent and the Panamanian government’s corruption problems.
Europe
Most countries in Europe showed respect for democratic
standards and civil liberties, even as many faced growing nationalist sentiment
in response to an influx of immigrants. However, Turkey’s
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan displayed increasingly authoritarian
tendencies, including a crackdown on protesters in Istanbul
and a campaign against critical voices in the media. Gains: Italy’s
political rights rating rose following free and fair national elections and
improvements in the country’s anticorruption environment. Declines: None.