Freedom House
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
Freedom House, founded by Wendell Wilkie and Eleanor Roosevelt in 1941, describes itself as "a non-profit, nonpartisan organization" that is "a clear voice for democracy and freedom around the world".
Freedom House says of itself that it "has vigorously opposed dictatorships in Central America and Chile, apartheid in South Africa, the suppression of the Prague Spring, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, genocide in Bosnia and Rwanda, and the brutal violation of human rights in Cuba, Burma, China, and Iraq. It has championed the rights of democratic activists, religious believers, trade unionists, journalists, and proponents of free markets.".
During the 1940s, Freedom House supported the Marshall Plan and the establishment of NATO. During the 1950s and 1960s, it advocated the U.S. civil rights movement. During the 1980s, it supported the Solidarity movement in Poland and the democratic opposition in the Philippines.
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Organization
Freedom House is a member of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange, a virtual network of non-governmental organisations that monitors free expression violations worldwide and campaigns to defend journalists, writers and human rights activists.
Former CIA director R. James Woolsey is Freedom House's chairman and its board includes Steve Forbes, P. J. O'Rourke, and Mark Palmer. Freedom House is funded by a number of foundations, including Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, the Sarah Scaife Foundation and the Soros Foundations. They also receive funding from the US Government through the National Endowment for Democracy, USAID, and the State Department.
Reports
Freedom House produces reports on the democracy and freedom in the government of countries around the world, and produces annual scores representing what it judges of countries' political and civil liberties, on a scale from 1 (best) to 7 (worst).
In their 2003 report, for example, Canada (judged as fully free and democratic) got a perfect score of a "1" in civil liberties and a "1" in political rights, earning them the designation of "free." The more oppressive nation of Nigeria got a "5" and a "4" earning them the designation of "Partly Free," while an out and out dictatorship like North Korea scored the lowest rank of "7-7", and was thus dubbed "not free."
Left-wing critics of Freedom House tend to accuse it of conservative bias and of unfair ratings. Specific ratings that have been attacked include Cuba's rating of 7-7 as well as Cuba's inclusion in Freedom House's list of the world's most repressive regimes. United States' rating of 1-1, Panama's rating of 1-2 and El-Salvador's rating of 2-3 have also been criticized. Supporters respond that Freedom House is often critical of both the US (which received a "declining freedom" designation in 2004) and traditional US allies, such as Saudi Arabia and Israel.
Freedom House also produces annual reports on press freedom and governance in the nations of the former Soviet Union, freedom of women in the Middle East, and good governance in countries being considered for President George W. Bush's Millennium Challenge Account foreign aid program.
- Color Key:
- Green: Free
- Beige: Partly Free
- Red: Not Free
Nations in Freedom House's reports and website are usually grouped with historical and cultural criteria, rather than strictly geographical ones. For example:
- The nations of Middle East and North Africa are grouped together.
- The Cold war-era political definition of Western Europe is used, in which nations such as Turkey, Greece and Cyprus are all considered Western European nations.
- Eastern Europe encompasses all countries formerly part of the Soviet Union, including ones located in Asia, such as Tajikistan or Uzbekistan.
2005 Ratings
NOTE: The ratings in this table reflect global events from 1 December 2003 through 30 November 2004.
PR - Political Rights CL - Civil Liberties
Sub-Saharan Africa
| Country | PR | CL | Status | Country | PR | CL | Status |
 Angola
| 6 | 5 | Not Free |  Liberia
| 5 | 4 | Partly Free |
 Benin
| 2 | 2 | Free |  Madagascar
| 3 | 3 | Partly Free |
 Botswana
| 2 | 2 | Free |  Malawi
| 4 | 4 | Partly Free |
 Burkina Faso
| 5 | 4 | Partly Free |  Mali
| 2 | 2 | Free |
 Burundi
| 6 | 5 | Partly Free | Mauritania | 6 | 5 | Not Free |
 Cameroon
| 6 | 6 | Not Free |  Mauritius
| 1 | 1 | Free |
 Cape Verde
| 1 | 1 | Free |  Mozambique
| 3 | 4 | Partly Free |
 Central African Republic
| 6 | 5 | Not Free |  Namibia
| 2 | 3 | Free |
 Chad
| 6 | 5 | Not Free |  Niger
| 3 | 3 | Partly Free |
 Comoros
| 4 | 4 | Partly Free |  Nigeria
| 4 | 4 | Partly Free |
 Congo-Brazzaville
| 5 | 4 | Partly Free |  Rwanda
| 6 | 5 | Not Free |
 Congo-Kinshasa
| 6 | 6 | Not Free |  São Tomé and Príncipe
| 2 | 2 | Free |
 Côte d'Ivoire
| 6 | 6 | Not Free |  Senegal
| 2 | 3 | Free |
 Djibouti
| 5 | 5 | Partly Free |  Seychelles
| 3 | 3 | Partly Free |
 Equatorial Guinea
| 7 | 6 | Not Free |  Sierra Leone
| 4 | 3 | Partly Free |
 Eritrea
| 7 | 6 | Not Free |  Somalia
| 6 | 7 | Not Free |
 Ethiopia
| 5 | 5 | Partly Free |  South Africa
| 1 | 2 | Free |
 Gabon
| 5 | 4 | Partly Free |  Sudan
| 7 | 7 | Not Free |
 The Gambia
| 4 | 4 | Partly Free |  Swaziland
| 7 | 5 | Not Free |
 Ghana
| 2 | 2 | Free |  Tanzania
| 4 | 3 | Partly Free |
 Guinea
| 6 | 5 | Not Free |  Togo
| 6 | 5 | Not Free |
 Guinea-Bissau
| 4 | 4 | Partly Free |  Uganda
| 5 | 4 | Partly Free |
 Kenya
| 3 | 3 | Partly Free |  Zambia
| 4 | 4 | Partly Free |
 Lesotho
| 2 | 3 | Free | Zimbabwe | 7 | 6 | Not Free |
Americas
| Country | PR | CL | Status | Country | PR | CL | Status |
 Antigua and Barbuda
| 2 | 2 | Free |  Guyana
| 2 | 2 | Free |
 Argentina
| 2 | 2 | Free |  Haiti
| 7 | 6 | Not Free |
 Bahamas
| 1 | 1 | Free |  Honduras
| 3 | 3 | Partly Free |
 Barbados
| 1 | 1 | Free |  Jamaica
| 2 | 3 | Free |
 Belize
| 1 | 2 | Free |  Mexico
| 2 | 2 | Free |
 Bolivia
| 3 | 3 | Partly Free |  Nicaragua
| 3 | 3 | Partly Free |
 Canada
| 1 | 1 | Free |  Paraguay
| 3 | 3 | Partly Free |
 Chile
| 1 | 1 | Free |  Peru
| 2 | 3 | Free |
 Colombia
| 4 | 4 | Partly Free |  Saint Kitts and Nevis
| 1 | 2 | Free |
 Costa Rica
| 1 | 1 | Free |  Saint Lucia
| 1 | 2 | Free |
 Cuba
| 7 | 7 | Not Free | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 2 | 1 | Free |
 Dominica
| 1 | 1 | Free |  Suriname
| 1 | 2 | Free |
 Dominican Republic
| 2 | 2 | Free |  Trinidad and Tobago
| 3 | 3 | Partly Free |
 Ecuador
| 3 | 3 | Partly Free | United States | 1 | 1 | Free |
 El Salvador
| 2 | 3 | Free | Uruguay | 1 | 1 | Free |
| Grenada | 1 | 2 | Free |  Venezuela
| 3 | 4 | Partly Free |
 Guatemala
| 4 | 4 | Partly Free |
Asia-Pacific
| Country | PR | CL | Status | Country | PR | CL | Status |
 Afghanistan
| 5 | 6 | Not Free |  Nauru
| 1 | 1 | Free |
 Australia
| 1 | 1 | Free |  Nepal
| 5 | 5 | Partly Free |
 Bangladesh
| 4 | 4 | Free | New Zealand | 1 | 1 | Free |
 Bhutan
| 6 | 5 | Not Free |  North Korea
| 7 | 7 | Not Free |
 Brunei Darussalam
| 6 | 5 | Not Free |  Pakistan
| 6 | 5 | Not Free |
 Burma
| 7 | 7 | Not Free |  Palau
| 1 | 1 | Free |
 Cambodia
| 6 | 5 | Not Free |  Papua New Guinea
| 3 | 3 | Partly Free |
 China
| 7 | 6 | Not Free |  Philippines
| 2 | 3 | Free |
 East Timor
| 3 | 3 | Partly Free |  Samoa
| 2 | 2 | Free |
 Fiji
| 4 | 3 | Partly Free |  Singapore
| 5 | 4 | Partly Free |
 India
| 2 | 3 | Free |  Solomon Islands
| 3 | 3 | Partly Free |
 Indonesia
| 3 | 4 | Partly Free |  South Korea
| 1 | 2 | Free |
 Japan
| 1 | 2 | Free |  Sri Lanka
| 3 | 3 | Partly Free |
 Kiribati
| 1 | 1 | Free |  Taiwan
| 2 | 1 | Free |
 Laos
| 7 | 6 | Not Free |  Thailand
| 2 | 3 | Free |
 Malaysia
| 4 | 4 | Partly Free |  Tonga
| 5 | 3 | Partly Free |
 Maldives
| 6 | 5 | Not Free | Tuvalu | 1 | 1 | Free |
| Marshall Islands | 1 | 1 | Free |  Vanuatu
| 2 | 2 | Free |
 Micronesia
| 1 | 1 | Free |  Vietnam
| 7 | 6 | Not Free |
| Mongolia | 2 | 2 | Free |
Central & Eastern Europe & the former Soviet Union
| Country | PR | CL | Status | Country | PR | CL | Status |
 Albania
| 3 | 3 | Partly Free |  Lithuania
| 2 | 2 | Free |
 Armenia
| 5 | 4 | Partly Free |  Macedonia
| 3 | 3 | Partly Free |
 Azerbaijan
| 6 | 5 | Not Free |  Moldova
| 3 | 4 | Partly Free |
| Belarus | 7 | 6 | Not Free |  Poland
| 1 | 1 | Free |
 Bosnia and Herzegovina
| 4 | 3 | Partly Free |  Romania
| 3 | 2 | Free |
 Bulgaria
| 1 | 2 | Free |  Russia
| 6 | 5 | Not Free |
 Croatia
| 2 | 2 | Free | Serbia and Montenegro | 3 | 2 | Free |
 Czech Republic
| 1 | 1 | Free |  Slovakia
| 1 | 1 | Free |
| Estonia | 1 | 1 | Free |  Slovenia
| 1 | 1 | Free |
| Georgia | 3 | 4 | Partly Free |  Tajikistan
| 6 | 5 | Not Free |
 Hungary
| 1 | 1 | Free |  Turkmenistan
| 7 | 7 | Not Free |
| Kazakhstan | 6 | 5 | Not Free |  Ukraine
| 4 | 3 | Partly Free |
 Kyrgyzstan
| 6 | 5 | Not Free | Uzbekistan | 7 | 6 | Not Free |
 Latvia
| 1 | 2 | Free |
Western Europe
| Country | PR | CL | Status | Country | PR | CL | Status |
 Andorra
| 1 | 1 | Free |  Luxembourg
| 1 | 1 | Free |
 Austria
| 1 | 1 | Free | Malta | 1 | 1 | Free |
 Belgium
| 1 | 1 | Free |  Monaco
| 2 | 1 | Free |
 Cyprus
| 1 | 1 | Free |  Netherlands
| 1 | 1 | Free |
 Denmark
| 1 | 1 | Free |  Norway
| 1 | 1 | Free |
 Finland
| 1 | 1 | Free |  Portugal
| 1 | 1 | Free |
 France
| 1 | 1 | Free |  San Marino
| 1 | 1 | Free |
| Germany | 1 | 1 | Free |  Spain
| 1 | 1 | Free |
 Greece
| 1 | 2 | Free |  Sweden
| 1 | 1 | Free |
 Iceland
| 1 | 1 | Free |  Switzerland
| 1 | 1 | Free |
 Ireland
| 1 | 1 | Free |  Turkey
| 3 | 3 | Partly Free |
| Italy | 1 | 1 | Free |  United Kingdom
| 1 | 1 | Free |
 Liechtenstein
| 1 | 1 | Free |
Middle East & North Africa
| Country | PR | CL | Status | Country | PR | CL | Status |
| Algeria | 6 | 5 | Not Free |  Libya
| 7 | 7 | Not Free |
 Bahrain
| 5 | 5 | Partly Free |  Morocco
| 5 | 4 | Partly Free |
| Egypt | 6 | 5 | Not Free |  Oman
| 6 | 5 | Not Free |
 Iran
| 6 | 6 | Not Free | Qatar | 6 | 5 | Not Free |
 Iraq
| 7 | 5 | Not Free |  Saudi Arabia
| 7 | 7 | Not Free |
 Israel
| 1 | 3 | Free |  Syria
| 7 | 7 | Not Free |
 Jordan
| 5 | 4 | Partly Free |  Tunisia
| 6 | 5 | Not Free |
 Kuwait
| 4 | 5 | Partly Free |  United Arab Emirates
| 6 | 6 | Not Free |
 Lebanon
| 6 | 5 | Not Free |  Yemen
| 5 | 5 | Partly Free |
Related/Disputed Territories
| Country | PR | CL | Status | Country | PR | CL | Status |
| Abkhazia (Georgia) | 6 | 5 | Not Free | Kosovo (Serbia & Montenegro) | 6 | 5 | Not Free |
| Chechnya (Russia) | 7 | 7 | Not Free | Macao (China) | 6 | 4 | Partly Free |
| Northern Cyprus | 2 | 2 | Free | Nagorno-Karabakh (Azerbaijan) | 5 | 5 | Partly Free |
| Hong Kong (China) | 5 | 2 | Partly Free | Puerto Rico (United States) | 1 | 2 | Free |
| West Bank and Gaza Israeli Administered | 6 | 6 | Not Free | Tibet (China) | 7 | 7 | Not Free |
| Palestinian Authority Administered Territories | 5 | 6 | Not Free | Transnistria (Moldova) | 6 | 6 | Not Free |
| Kashmir (Indian Administered) | 5 | 5 | Partly Free | Western Sahara (Morocco) | 7 | 6 | Not Free |
| Kashmir (Pakistani Administered) | 7 | 5 | Not Free |
See also
External links
- http://www.freedomhouse.org/
- http://www.freedomhouse.org/aboutfh/index.htm
- Freedom in the World Survey, 2003 (http://www.freedomhouse.org/research/freeworld/2003/countries.htm)
- Freedom in the World Survey, 2004 (http://www.freedomhouse.org/research/freeworld/2004/countries.htm)
- Freedom in the World Survey, 2005 (http://www.freedomhouse.org/research/survey2005.htm)pl:Freedom House
