Freedom House: Belarus among world’s most repressive countries
12- 4.06.2010, 9:41
Freedom House research foundation released an annual report on human rights situation in the world.
As estimated by the organization, Belarus was cited among the world's worst human rights and civil liberties abusers, Radio Svaboda informs.
The Freedom House report shows that Belarus, as well as China, Chad, Laos, Saudi Arabia, and Syria, is just slightly above the worst ranked countries.
As Freedom House says, “Despite incentives from the European Union to introduce reforms, President Alyaksandr Lukashenka maintained a tight grip over Belarus’s political and economic systems in 2009.”
According to Freedom House, freedom of political parties, NGOs, mass media, and religious organizations is violated in Belarus, mass demonstrations and national elections are restricted.
According to Freedom House’s report, Belarus’s neighbours have different scores in political rights and civil liberties: Lithuania (1-1), Latvia (2-1), Poland (1-1), Ukraine (3-2) are considered to be free countries. The only not free neighbour is Russia, but its score (6-5) are better than Belarus’s ones.
Belarus received the lowest possible score of 7 in political rights (based on a 1 to 7 scale).
