Lukashenka’ regime is one of most repressive in world

• 16.01.2008, 12:45

Human rights organisation Freedom House published Freedom in the World report for 2008. According to the organisation, the number of the countries judged free stood at 90, representing 47 per cent of the countries of the world. Belarus, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan are named among the most repressing countries in the world.

The survey shows reversal in political freedoms in China, Venezuela, Pakistan, and Russia.

The number of partly free countries has increased by two, up to 60, with 18 per cent of the world population. At present 4,2 billion people can enjoy freedom. In 1977 only 28 per cent of the world population lived in free countries, with 41 per cent living in not free ones. Now 21 per cent of world’s inhabitants live under regimes suffocating freedom, about half of those live in one country: China.

Moreover, the survey says regional strong leaders have appeared over the last years, who spread or encourage repressive tendencies in neighbouring counties. Russia of Vladimir Putin (unfree) helps and supports, the more unfree Belarusian regime. Burma regime would have collapsed, if not for the support of China. Hugo Chavez uses partly free Venezuela as a platform for rendering other repressive regimes. Iran and Syria (both unfree) are factor of destabilisation in Lebanon (partly free).

Belarus, ranked in the list of the most repressive countries, is noted in the report as a country, where political prisoners sit in prisons, separation of powers principle, freedom of speech and freedom of association are violated.