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Around the World

Egypt
A judge has postponed the notorious trial of two policemen accused of beating a young man to death until September, pending the new demands brought by the victim's lawyers that the defendants face torture charges. Read more on Egypt at Freedom in the World 2010: Egypt

Philippines
A key witness’ aide to the November massacre of 57 people, including 30 journalists, was shot. The killing is suspected to be the work of gang members implicated in massacre who were attempting to intimidate the witness. Read more on the Philippines at Freedom in the World 2010: Philippines

Cambodia
A UN-backed tribunal sentenced the Khmer Rouge’s chief jailer to 35 years in prison for war crimes and crimes against humanity, the first conviction of a top official whose regime killed 1.7 million people from 1975-1979. Read more on Cambodia at Freedom in the World 2010: Cambodia

Burma (Myanmar)
ASEAN foreign ministers gave the government of Burma an “earful,” demanding free, fair and inclusive elections in the upcoming months, the first elections to take place in two decades after nearly 50 years of military-led rule. Read more on Burma at Freedom in the World 2010: Burma

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Freedom in the World 2008: Subscores

Key                                      
PR: Political Rights                                        
CL: Civil Liberties                                        
Status: F-Free; PF-Partly Free; NF-Not Free                                        
Sub-Categories: Political Rights                                        
A: Electoral Process                                        
B: Political Pluralism and Participation                                        
C: Functioning of Government                                        
Sub-Categories: Civil Liberties                                        
D: Freedom of Expression and Belief                                        
E: Associational and Organizational Rights                                        
F: Rule of Law                                        
G: Personal Autonomy and Individual Rights

Countries

Country PR CL Status A B C D E F G
Afghanistan 5 5 PF 6 7 4 5 4 3 5
Albania 3 3 PF 8 11 7 12 8 10 9
Algeria 6 5 NF 4 4 3 7 6 5 7
Andorra 1 1 F 12 15 12 16 11 15 15
Angola 6 5 NF 2 5 1 8 6 4 3
Antigua & Barbuda 2 2 F 11 12 7 13 9 12 13
Argentina 2 2 F 11 15 6 14 11 10 13
Armenia 5 4 PF 5 5 4 8 5 6 9
Australia 1 1 F 12 15 12 16 12 14 15
Austria 1 1 F 12 16 12 16 12 15 15
Azerbaijan 6 5 NF 3 4 3 6 3 4 8
Bahamas 1 1 F 12 16 10 16 12 15 15
Bahrain 5 5 PF 3 8 4 9 3 3 7
Bangladesh 5 4 PF 3 5 4 7 6 6 9
Barbados 1 1 F 12 16 12 16 12 16 15
Belarus 7 6 NF 0 2 1 3 0 2 5
Belgium 1 1 F 12 16 11 16 12 15 15
Belize 1 2 F 12 14 10 15 11 12 13
Benin 2 2 F 10 15 8 15 12 12 10
Bhutan 6 5 NF 3 4 5 7 3 5 8
Bolivia 3 3 PF 11 13 5 15 10 7 9
Bosnia-Herzegovina 4 3 PF 8 10 5 11 8 10 10
Botswana 2 2 F 11 11 9 14 10 13 11
Brazil 2 2 F 11 14 6 15 10 8 12
Brunei 6 5 NF 0 3 3 6 3 6 8
Bulgaria 1 2 F 12 15 9 14 11 12 12
Burkina Faso 5 3 PF 5 8 4 13 9 6 8
Burma 7 7 NF 0 1 0 2 0 0 3
Burundi 4 5 PF 9 9 4 8 5 4 6
Cambodia 6 5 NF 3 5 3 10 6 2 6
Cameroon 6 6 NF 2 4 3 7 3 2 4
Canada 1 1 F 12 16 12 16 12 15 16
Cape Verde 1 1 F 12 15 10 15 11 14 13
Central African Republic 5 5 PF 7 7 3 10 6 3 4
Chad 7 6 NF 3 1 1 7 4 1 3
Chile 1 1 F 12 15 12 16 12 15 15
China (PRC) 7 6 NF 0 1 1 4 2 2 8
Colombia 3 3 PF 10 9 7 12 6 7 10
Comoros 4 4 PF 8 11 4 10 6 8 6
Congo (Brazzaville) 6 5 NF 1 4 3 9 7 2 6
Congo (Kinshasa) 5 6 NF 6 5 2 6 5 0 1
Costa Rica 1 1 F 12 15 11 16 11 13 13
Cote d’Ivoire 7 5 NF 1 2 2 5 4 5 5
Croatia 2 2 F 12 14 9 14 12 11 13
Cuba 7 7 NF 0 0 1 2 1 1 2
Cyprus 1 1 F 11 16 11 15 12 15 15
Czech Republic 1 1 F 12 15 11 16 12 14 15
Denmark 1 1 F 12 16 12 16 12 15 15
Djibouti 5 5 PF 4 5 3 6 5 5 6
Dominica 1 1 F 12 16 11 16 12 15 15
Dominican Republic 2 2 F 11 13 9 15 11 10 11
East Timor 3 4 PF 11 11 6 12 7 6 9
Ecuador 3 3 PF 9 14 4 15 11 6 10
Egypt 6 5 NF 1 4 2 5 2 4 7
El Salvador 2 3 F 12 13 8 15 8 7 10
Equatorial Guinea 7 6 NF 0 1 0 5 0 1 3
Eritrea 7 6 NF 0 1 2 2 0 2 6
Estonia 1 1 F 12 14 12 16 12 14 14
Ethiopia 5 5 PF 5 4 4 7 3 4 6
Fiji 6 4 PF 0 5 2 11 4 7 10
Finland 1 1 F 12 16 12 16 12 16 16
France 1 1 F 12 15 11 15 12 13 15
Gabon 6 4 PF 2 5 3 10 6 6 5
Georgia 4 4 PF 8 6 6 11 7 6 10
Germany 1 1 F 12 15 12 15 12 15 15
Ghana 1 2 F 12 15 10 14 11 12 10
Greece 1 2 F 12 15 10 15 11 13 13
Grenada 1 2 F 12 16 9 15 9 12 15
Guatemala 3 4 PF 9 10 5 12 8 5 8
Guinea 6 5 NF 2 5 3 8 5 4 6
Guinea-Bissau 4 4 PF 9 9 3 10 8 6 6
Guyana 2 3 F 11 13 7 15 10 8 9
Haiti 4 5 PF 7 10 5 10 6 4 5
Honduras 3 3 PF 9 10 6 12 8 7 9
Hungary 1 1 F 12 15 10 16 12 13 14
Iceland 1 1 F 12 16 12 16 12 16 16
India 2 3 F 11 14 9 13 10 9 10
Indonesia 2 3 F 11 13 6 12 9 7 9
Iran 6 6 NF 3 4 3 5 2 3 4
Iraq 6 6 NF 7 6 1 5 3 0 4
Ireland 1 1 F 12 16 11 16 12 15 15
Israel 1 2 F 12 15 10 14 12 10 11
Italy 1 1 F 12 15 11 15 12 12 15
Jamaica 2 3 F 12 14 8 15 9 8 11
Japan 1 2 F 12 15 10 13 10 15 13
Jordan 5 4 PF 2 6 5 9 5 6 8
Kazakhstan 6 5 NF 3 3 2 7 4 4 7
Kenya 4 3 PF 6 9 5 14 9 7 8
Kiribati 1 1 F 12 16 8 15 12 15 13
Kuwait 4 4 PF 4 9 6 9 6 7 5
Kyrgyzstan 5 4 PF 5 7 4 10 7 5 7
Laos 7 6 NF 0 1 0 4 1 2 5
Latvia 2 1 F 12 15 8 16 12 12 13
Lebanon 5 4 PF 4 7 4 12 8 5 9
Lesotho 2 3 F 9 12 9 14 7 11 9
Liberia 3 4 PF 9 10 6 11 8 7 8
Libya 7 7 NF 0 1 0 1 0 0 6
Liechtenstein 1 1 F 12 16 12 16 12 16 16
Lithuania 1 1 F 12 15 9 16 11 14 13
Luxembourg 1 1 F 12 16 12 16 12 16 16
Macedonia 3 3 PF 7 10 7 11 7 8 10
Madagascar 4 3 PF 7 8 7 10 8 9 9
Malawi 4 4 PF 7 10 6 11 8 8 7
Malaysia 4 4 PF 6 7 6 8 5 6 8
Maldives 6 5 NF 3 4 4 7 4 7 7
Mali 2 3 F 9 12 9 15 9 9 9
Malta 1 1 F 12 16 11 16 12 15 15
Marshall Islands 1 1 F 12 15 10 16 11 15 13
Mauritania 4 4 PF 9 7 6 10 8 6 6
Mauritius 1 2 F 12 15 11 15 12 13 12
Mexico 2 3 F 10 14 8 14 9 7 11
Micronesia 1 1 F 12 15 10 16 11 15 14
Moldova 3 4 PF 9 8 7 10 6 8 9
Monaco 2 1 F 10 11 10 15 12 15 14
Mongolia 2 2 F 8 15 10 15 10 12 12
Montenegro 3 3 PF 9 9 6 12 10 8 11
Morocco 5 4 PF 4 7 5 8 6 6 8
Mozambique 3 3 PF 7 11 7 12 7 7 9
Namibia 2 2 F 10 12 9 15 12 10 9
Nauru 1 1 F 12 16 10 15 11 15 14
Nepal 5 4 PF 4 9 4 10 6 6 7
Netherlands 1 1 F 12 16 12 16 12 15 16
New Zealand 1 1 F 12 15 12 16 11 15 15
Nicaragua 3 3 PF 11 12 4 14 7 7 9
Niger 3 4 PF 11 9 8 10 8 8 6
Nigeria 4 4 PF 3 9 6 11 8 5 7
North Korea 7 7 NF 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
Norway 1 1 F 12 16 12 16 12 16 16
Oman 6 5 NF 2 2 2 6 3 4 5
Pakistan 6 5 NF 2 4 2 5 4 3 6
Palau 1 1 F 12 15 10 16 11 15 13
Panama 1 2 F 12 15 9 15 11 9 12
Papua New Guinea 3 3 PF 9 11 4 12 9 7 8
Paraguay 3 3 PF 11 11 4 12 8 6 10
Peru 2 3 F 11 14 7 15 8 8 10
Philippines 4 3 PF 6 10 7 14 8 6 10
Poland 1 1 F 12 16 10 16 12 13 14
Portugal 1 1 F 12 16 12 16 12 15 15
Qatar 6 5 NF 2 2 3 8 2 4 4
Romania 2 2 F 11 14 7 14 11 12 12
Russia 6 5 NF 3 3 3 8 4 4 7
Rwanda 6 5 NF 3 4 4 7 3 6 7
Samoa 2 2 F 9 13 10 14 10 13 12
San Marino 1 1 F 12 16 12 16 12 16 16
Sao Tome & Principe 2 2 F 11 14 8 15 10 12 10
Saudi Arabia 7 6 NF 0 0 1 4 0 3 2
Senegal 2 3 F 9 12 9 14 10 10 9
Serbia 3 2 F 9 13 7 14 11 9 13
Seychelles 3 3 PF 8 10 7 9 9 11 11
Sierra Leone 3 3 PF 10 12 4 12 8 8 9
Singapore 5 4 PF 4 6 7 9 3 8 12
Slovakia 1 1 F 12 15 10 16 12 12 14
Slovenia 1 1 F 12 15 11 15 12 14 12
Solomon Islands 4 3 PF 6 10 5 13 9 8 12
Somalia 7 7 NF 0 0 0 3 0 0 0
South Africa 2 2 F 12 14 9 15 12 12 12
South Korea 1 2 F 11 15 10 14 11 13 12
Spain 1 1 F 12 15 12 16 12 14 15
Sri Lanka 4 4 PF 8 7 6 8 8 6 9
St. Kitts & Nevis 1 1 F 12 16 11 15 12 12 14
St. Lucia 1 1 F 12 16 11 15 12 12 14
St. Vincent & Grenadines 2 1 F 11 15 9 15 11 13 14
Sudan 7 7 NF 0 4 3 4 3 0 0
Suriname 2 2 F 12 13 8 15 11 9 10
Swaziland 7 5 NF 0 1 1 8 3 4 5
Sweden 1 1 F 12 16 12 16 12 16 16
Switzerland 1 1 F 12 15 12 16 12 15 15
Syria 7 6 NF 0 0 1 2 0 1 5
Taiwan (ROC) 2 1 F 10 15 9 16 11 15 13
Tajikistan 6 5 NF 2 4 3 6 4 4 5
Tanzania 4 3 PF 6 10 6 11 7 10 8
Thailand 6 4 PF 1 4 3 9 5 6 11
The Gambia 5 4 PF 6 7 4 10 6 7 8
Togo 5 5 PF 4 7 3 8 6 4 6
Tonga 5 3 PF 3 9 3 12 5 11 12
Trinidad & Tobago 2 2 F 11 12 9 15 11 10 13
Tunisia 7 5 NF 1 3 1 4 2 4 8
Turkey 3 3 PF 10 12 7 12 7 8 10
Turkmenistan 7 7 NF 0 0 0 2 0 1 2
Tuvalu 1 1 F 12 15 10 16 12 15 14
Uganda 5 4 PF 4 7 4 11 6 6 7
Ukraine 3 2 F 10 13 6 13 10 10 11
United Arab Emirates 6 5 NF 1 2 2 7 3 3 4
United Kingdom 1 1 F 12 16 12 16 12 14 15
United States of America 1 1 F 11 16 11 16 11 14 15
Uruguay 1 1 F 12 16 11 16 12 15 15
Uzbekistan 7 7 NF 0 0 0 1 0 0 2
Vanuatu 2 2 F 9 15 8 16 11 10 11
Venezuela 4 4 PF 8 8 3 9 6 5 8
Vietnam 7 5 NF 0 1 1 5 2 4 8
Yemen 5 5 PF 4 7 3 7 4 4 5
Zambia 3 4 PF 8 12 6 11 8 8 7
Zimbabwe 7 6 NF 1 4 0 5 2 1 1

*As a result of Discretionary Question A, the following countries’ aggregate political rights scores (on a 0-40 scale) increased by one point: Brunei, Swaziland; by three points: Qatar, Saudi Arabia; by four points: Oman, United Arab Emirates. As a result of Discretionary Question B, the following countries’ aggregate political rights scores (on a 0-40 scale) decreased by one point: Bhutan, Tajikistan; by two points: Burma; by three points: Iraq; by four points: Sudan. For more information on the content of the discretionary questions, see the Freedom in the World methodology.

Territories

Related Territory PR CL Status A B C D E F G
Hong Kong (China) 5 2 PF 3 7 6 14 10 14 13
Puerto Rico (United States) 1 1 F 12 15 10 16 11 14 14
Disputed Territory PR CL Status A B C D E F G
Abkhazia (Georgia) 5 5 PF 5 6 4 8 4 4 5
Chechnya (Russia) 7 7 NF 0 0 0 4 0 0 3
Israeli Occupied Territories 6 6 NF 3 2 3 6 5 1 4
Kashmir (India) 5 4 PF 6 6 3 8 6 4 8
Kashmir (Pakistan) 7 5 NF 1 3 1 6 4 4 6
Kosovo 6 5 NF 6 5 3 7 6 4 6
Nagorno-Karabakh (Armenia/Azerbaijan) 5 5 PF 6 5 3 7 3 5 5
Northern (Turkish) Cyprus 2 2 F 11 14 9 13 9 12 12
Palestinian Authority Administered Territories 5 6 NF 4 7 2 5 4 1 4
Tibet (China) 7 7 NF 0 0 1 0 0 0 4
Transnistria (Moldova) 6 6 NF 2 4 1 6 2 2 5
Western Sahara (Morocco) 7 6 NF 0 0 0 3 3 0 5
Somaliland 4 4 PF 6 7 5 8 6 7 6

*As a result of Discretionary Question B, the following territories' aggregate political rights scores (on a 0-40 scale) decreased by one point: Israeli Occupied Territories; by two points: Kashmir (Pakistan), Western Sahara; by three points: Tibet, Kosovo. For more information on the content of the discretionary questions, see the Freedom in the World methodology.