Central and Eastern Europe/Eurasia

Countries in this region range from among the best to among the worst in the world with regard to respect for human rights. Most states in the non-Baltic former Soviet Union rank at or near the bottom of Freedom House’s ratings for political rights and civil liberties, while the democracies of Central Europe have established institutions that generally protect most fundamental rights, despite some recent backsliding. Georgia, Ukraine, and most countries in the Balkans fall somewhere in between, and need ongoing monitoring to ensure continued democratic progress. Freedom House’s programs in the region support courageous activists in their struggle to strengthen basic human rights, provide independent news and analysis, and combat grave violations of the rule of law.

Countries from this region are evaluated annually in Freedom House's Nations in Transit study, as well as in our flagship publication, Freedom in the World, and the Freedom of the Press and Freedom on the Net surveys.