On 16 January, the international watchdog organization Freedom House
published its annual
Freedom in the World
report
on global freedom and democracy. According to the organization’s analysis, Azerbaijan is “Not Free,” ranked lower than any of its neighbors, including Russia and Iran.
Freedom House’s 2018 report, entitled “Democracy in Crisis,” finds a global decline in political rights and civil liberties, such as free and fair elections, freedom of the press, and the rule of law.
“For the 12th consecutive year, according to
Freedom in the World
, countries that suffered democratic setbacks outnumbered those that registered gains,” the report reads. “States that a decade ago seemed like promising success stories—Turkey and Hungary, for example—are sliding into authoritarian rule.”
Meanwhile, the world’s most powerful democracies are mired in seemingly intractable problems at home, including social and economic disparities, partisan fragmentation, terrorist attacks, and an influx of refugees that has strained alliances and increased fears of the ‘other.’
In the report, countries receive scores from 0 (least free) to 100 (most free) based on analyses of political rights as well as civil liberties.
Azerbaijan received an aggregate score of 12, along with Laos, Ethiopia, Bahrain, and the Gaza Strip. The South Caucasian republic is one of 49 countries labeled “Not Free,” while neighboring Georgia (64 points) and Armenia (45 points) are both labeled “Partly Free.”
Azerbaijan’s score has been
steadily decreasing
since 2016, when it received 16 points.
According to
official website
,
Freedom in the World
is Freedom House’s flagship annual report, assessing the condition of political rights and civil liberties around the world. It is composed of numerical ratings and supporting descriptive texts for 195 countries and 14 territories.
Freedom in the World
has been published since 1973, allowing Freedom House to track global trends in freedom over more than 40 years. It has become the most widely read and cited report of its kind, used on a regular basis by policymakers, journalists, academics, activists, and many others.
