Freedom House: Level Of Freedom In Belarus Is At The Gaza Strip Level

It is estimated at 11 out of 100 points.

The level of freedom in Belarus is at the same level as in Uzbekistan, Yemen and the Gaza Strip. This is stated in the report of the human rights organization Freedom House.

In its annual report, "Freedom Around the World," Freedom House assesses people's access to political rights and civil liberties in 210 countries and territories.

According to the report, Belarus has become the second country, where the level of freedoms has seriously decreased by eight points for the year. The reason for this is the activities of security forces, which have tried to crackdown on anti-government demonstrations after Aliaksandr Lukashenka was re-elected.

Now the level of freedom in Belarus is estimated at 11 out of 100 points. Uzbekistan got the same score, as well as Yemen, the Gaza Strip, which are at war.

Political rights in Belarus were assigned 2 out of 40 points, while civil rights - 9 out of 60. The independence of the judiciary and the rule of law were assigned 0 points.

The authors of the report note that citizens in Belarus rose up in August 2020 to challenge the fraudulent results of "deeply misguided elections."

- Aliaksandr Lukashenka's repressive rule had previously been taken for granted, but for a few weeks the protests would seem to put him in a defensive position, as the citizens, despite brutal repression, mass arrests and torture, awakened their democratic potential.