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In Iran’s Fraudulent System, Rafsanjani’s Disqualification Is the Tip of the Iceberg

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:17:49 +0000

Arch Puddington

With the exceptions of the few remaining absolute monarchies and communist dictatorships, most authoritarian regimes feel compelled to hold elections in which different candidates or parties seem to compete for power, campaigns are conducted, and, occasionally, a measure of suspense precedes the ballot counting.

In Need of Change, Tajikistan Gets a Crackdown

Wed, 22 May 2013 15:52:03 +0000

Nate Schenkkan

When Zayd Saidov announced in April that he and some other leading businessmen in Tajikistan were founding a political party, he seemed to go out of his way to avoid criticism of President Emomali Rahmon and adopt a mild, pragmatic tone.

International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia 2013

Thu, 16 May 2013 17:20:38 +0000

Chloe Schwenke

Photo Credit: Sérgio Savarese
A pride parade in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Международный день против гомофобии и трансфобии 2013

Thu, 16 May 2013 17:19:38 +0000

Chloe Schwenke

Парад «Гей-прайд» в Сан-Паулу, Бразилия
Фотография: Сержио Саваресе

A Dangerous Pattern on Foreign Assistance

Wed, 15 May 2013 19:55:55 +0000

Sarah Trister

Photo Credit: Marcello Casal Jr./ABr
Bolivian president Evo Morales.

Bolivia’s expulsion of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) this month is a troubling development on its own, but when viewed in the context of similar actions by other governments, it raises questions about the future of American foreign assistance in the face of authoritarianism.

Media Control in China: A Model of Complexity and Thoroughness

Mon, 06 May 2013 17:54:54 +0000

China’s media environment remains one of the world’s most restrictive. As described in Freedom House’s recently released report on the state of global press freedom for the year 2012, the Chinese government’s press restrictions were complex, intricate, ruthless when necessary, and flexible when it suited the leadership’s purposes. At the same time, these controls were subject to pushback from ordinary citizens outraged at the suppression of information about critical events.

Russian Model Gains as Press Freedom Declines

Fri, 03 May 2013 16:00:00 +0000

Leon Willems

Arch Puddington

Each year at this time, Freedom House, a Washington-based institute that specializes in research on global democracy, issues a report on the condition of press freedom around the world. The report’s findings for the past year make for disturbing reading. The number of countries that experienced a significant decline in media freedom outstripped the number that registered improvements. Even worse, trends for the past decade indicate a steady erosion in the ability of media to cover the most critical civic and political issues.

Infographic: Notable Developments for Press Freedom in 2012

Wed, 01 May 2013 14:15:00 +0000

To accompany today’s release of Freedom of the Press 2013, the latest edition of its annual global survey of media independence, Freedom House has created this infographic, which highlights countries with notable developments during the new report’s coverage period.

The Long Arm of China’s Transnational Censorship

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 19:55:48 +0000

Arch Puddington

Earlier this week, Secretary of State John Kerry reportedly expressed the hope that a new “special relationship” could be forged between the United States and China over the coming years. Until now, the phrase has been used almost exclusively to refer to American ties with two countries: Great Britain and Israel. The reasons for America’s close relations with these two societies are complex, but they are rooted in a shared commitment to the fundamental values of democracy, including freedom of expression. China’s political leaders have rejected these values.

In Religious Freedom Debate, Nonbelievers Must Not Be Ignored

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 16:22:38 +0000

Billy Ford

Cyrus Rassool

According to a 2012 Win-Gallup poll of some 50,000 individuals from 57 countries, 36 percent of respondents classified their religious identity as “Atheist” or “Non-Religious.” The result indicated a shift of 12 percentage points from “Religious” to the other two categories since 2005, when the poll was last conducted. However, the interests of nonbelievers are still frequently ignored in discussions of religious freedom and persecution around the world.