Rights Watchdog Says Global Political Freedom is Declining
[VOA]
Freedom House rates countries as “free,” “partly free” or “not free.” The report says countries that had made progress toward freedom in recent years — such as Sri Lanka, Lebanon, Kenya and Kyrgyzstan — took “significant steps backwards.” In South Asia, the report says Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka experienced declines due to increased restrictions on civil society and, in most cases, increased military activity. The report gave North America and, with a few exceptions, Western Europe the highest ratings for freedom.