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Around the World

Egypt
Three top leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s most powerful opposition group, were arrested as a part of the government’s ongoing crackdown against the group following their appointment of new leadership. Read more on Egypt at Freedom in the World 2009: Egypt

China
The Chinese government executed nine people who had been convicted over deadly ethnic riots in Xinjiang region. Read more about China in Freedom in the World 2009: China

Venezuela and Russia
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's says Russia has agreed to lend his country $2 billion to buy weapons. Learn more about Venezuela and Russia

Serbia
The Hague tribunal rejected the argument by former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic that he should not be prosecuted because of a immunity deal. Read more about Serbia in Nations in Transit 2009: Serbia

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Featured News
Democracy Online
Feb 2, 2010

This event has been cancelled and will be rescheduled. Please check back soon for updated information.

 
Does free expression online have the potential to bring about democratic change, or are repressive governments successfully restricting and limiting the use of new technologies, making them irrelevant in the fight for human rights?   Join Freedom House and Google to explore these questions and many more. 
 
Monday, February 8  - 4:30 to 6:00 pm
Google D.C.
1101 New York Ave., NW 2nd Floor
Washington D.C.       
 
Tendai Biti Reports Progress in Zimbabwe
Jan 27, 2010
The decision to participate in Zimbabwe’s Government of National Unity was the right choice and essential to improve a collapsed economy and spur democratization, said Tendai Biti, Zimbabwe’s Finance Minister in his remarks at the National Press Club on January 26. The event, organized by Freedom House and the National Democratic Institute, was part of Biti’s visit to Washington to meet with U.S. government officials, international monetary institutions, and the NGO community to advocate for a Marshall Plan for Zimbabwe, a country that in his estimation will require upwards of 8 billion dollars of foreign investment for basic reconstruction.
Principles for U.S. Engagement in Asia
Jan 27, 2010
The United States, in the development of foreign policy, must often take into account economic and security interests that may conflict with human rights priorities.  Recently, Freedom House testified in front of the Senate Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs in a hearing that examined the role of human rights and democracy promotion in U.S. foreign policy.  In its testimony, Freedom House emphasized that while different countries require different policy strategies, the treatment of individuals, and the laws and practices that undergird fundamental human rights must always weigh heavily in U.S. foreign policy.
Freedom in the World 2010: Global Erosion of Freedom
Jan 12, 2010

For the fourth consecutive year, global declines in freedom outweighed gains in 2009, as measured by Freedom House's annual survey of political rights and civil liberties, Freedom in the World 2010. This represents the longest continuous period of decline for global freedom in the nearly 40-year history of the report.

 

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Press Releases

Free Speech under Attack in Morocco

February 04, 2010 - Morocco’s closure of leading independent news magazine Le Journal Hebdomodaire and the prison sentence handed down to blogger Boubaker al-Yadib reflect an ongoing and disturbing pattern of restriction on free speech.

Press Seizure Underscores Concerns about Kazakh Government’s Commitment to Freedom

February 03, 2010 - Freedom House condemns the Kazakh government’s failure to live up to its commitment to protect fundamental freedom of expression following the seizure of print runs from five independent newspapers. The seizure of papers occurred the very week that Kazakh foreign minister, Kanat Saudabayev, is in Washington speaking about Kazakhstan’s commitment to democratic norms.

Freedom of Assembly under Assault in Russia

January 29, 2010 - The Russian government’s latest refusal to grant permission for a peaceful demonstration in support of freedom of assembly in Moscow on January 31 is a blatant violation of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, as well as Russia’s international legal obligations to ensure freedom of assembly. Freedom House calls upon authorities to refrain from the use of force if the demonstration proceeds without a legal permit.

Governance Blog

Ruling By Law

January 12, 2010 -

What do Liu Xiaobo, Tran Anh Kim, Evgeny Zhovtis, Emin Milli, and Adnan Hajizade have in common?

All are democratic reformers seeking to advance greater democratic accountability in their countries. In 2009, all were on the receiving end of harsh prison sentences— products of contrived and non-transparent legal proceedings- designed to silence them.

In the News

Making the Web Safe for Democracy

January 19, 2010 - Foreign Policy, by Daniel Calingaert

Democracy's Wane

January 12, 2010 - Wall Street Journal

Rights, liberties down for 4th straight year

January 12, 2010 - Washington Times, by Bill Gertz