 | | OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS: Presidents Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and Rene Preval of Haiti are going in opposite directions when it comes to political freedom. (Photo: MinCi |
| | | | | | Nicaragua worsens and Haiti improves when it comes to political freedom. Cuba and Venezuela remain the worst. by CHRONICLE STAFF Jan.23.- Nicaragua and Venezuela are seeing a trend towards less political freedom, while Haiti is improving and the rest of Latin America largely remains the same, according to Freedom House, a U.S.-based bipartisan watchdog of civil liberties and political rights worldwide. "Latin America today is largely governed by parties that have demonstrated a commitment to the electoral process, freedom of expression, and a broad range of civil liberties," the organization said last week. "However, Freedom in the World judged that freedom in Venezuela remained under duress, and Nicaragua also suffered a decline. On the positive side, Haiti showed signs of modest progress."
Venezuela continues to get a 4 in civil rights and political rights, making it "partly free," according to Freedom House. That remains the third-worst result in Latin America ... [ full text ] Civil and democratic rights are in retreat, says an organisation with strong, though not uncontested, views on the matter
-- from The Economist print edition
An especially disturbing sign, says Freedom House, is the number of countries in all regions of the world where a previously hopeful trend has gone into reverse. They include Bangladesh (where the armed forces took over last year), Sri Lanka (whose civil war flared up) and the Philippines. Other backsliders included Nigeria and Kenya, accounting for more than one sub-Saharan African in four between them, plus the Palestinian territories and Lebanon. In both Georgia and Kyrgyzstan, former Soviet republics whose “colour revolutions” were warmly encouraged by Freedom House, there was regression. Only two countries, Thailand and Togo, made a clear leap forward last year, going from “not free” to “partly free” . Freedom House not only watches the state of liberty, it also calls itself a “catalyst” for the peaceful advancement of civil and democratic rights through “analysis, advocacy and action”.... Note from the Editors: Freedom House was founded in 1941 by Wendell Willkie and Eleanor Roosevelt, as a counter to Nazism. Afterwards, it focused on Soviet-backed tyrannies but also had harsh words for dictators on America's side of the stand-off. It is a non partisan American institution lead by a broad range of Republicans, Democrats, Liberals and Conservatives. Past trustees have included Paul Wolfowitz, a Republican luminary who held high office at the Pentagon. But board members have also included Lane Kirkland, a Democrat who led America's labour movement for 16 years. [ read more from The Economist ]
[ read more about Freedom in the World 2008 ]
|
