Freedom House sees disturbing global decline in democracy

Global freedom is on the decline according to Freedom House’s annual study of political and civil liberties in 195 countries and 15 territories. The 2014 edition of the annual report found 60% of the world’s population – 2.6 billion people – now live in countries that are not completely free. It said 61 countries became less free in 2014, while only 31 had recorded improvement.

If Poland and South Africa were once the causes that inspired freedom’s allies, today the animating cause is – or should be – the Middle East.

Excerpt from the Freedom House 2014 report, released today

Terrorism and war were the main culprits for declining freedoms, the report said. It cited the fourth year of war in Syria, the extending reach of the Islamic State terror group and Russia’s annexation of Crimea. It also singled out the U.S. Senate report on the CIA’s torture of terrorism suspects. In Latin America, Freedom House denounced Venezuela’s mass arrests of anti-government protesters and in Asia the report criticised the silence of neighbouring countries in response to political upheaval in Thailand.

World Freedom House