Belarus Is Among World’s 10 Worst-Rated Countries Regarding Freedom Of Speech Again

Last year the level of freedom of speech fell to its lowest point for the past 12 years.

This is the conclusion of a new report of the American non-governmental organization Freedom House, Radio Svaboda reports.

“Measures against the freedom of the press were the strongest in the Middle East and in Turkey, where the government and militant groups put pressure on journalists and the media, for them to take a “with us or against us” stance, says the report, released in Washington today.

It notes that the most dangerous place in the world for journalists is Syria, where at least 14 journalists were killed last year. Three Syrian journalists were killed most likely by the militants of the terrorist group Islamic State in Turkey.

The document also describes Russia as a “pioneer of modern government propaganda,” which has tightened control of information in the country, as well as intensified efforts to manipulate the media in the “geopolitically important” neighboring countries, such as Ukraine, Moldova, the Baltic countries and Central Asia. According to Freedom House analyst Elena Aghelyan, the propaganda through Sputnik channel has acquired the global character.

The report provides an assessment of media freedom in 199 countries and territories. Belarus has taken one of the last places – the 192th. Whilst the Crimea is the 195th, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan are, respectively, the 197th and the 198th. North Korea stands last in the list.