HUNGARY

GREENLAND

Civil liberties have been downgraded due to controversial constitutional and legal changes that threaten to seriously undermine the independence of the judiciary. There have been big demonstrations against this, and against changes to the countrys media laws, which make it harder for newspapers to criticise the government.
RUSSIA

LIBYA
Civil liberties have improved signi cantly since the demise of Colonel Gadda . Bene ts have been seen in academia and the media, as well as greater freedom of assembly and private discussion.
UK

ESTONIA BELARUS

TUNISIA
Free and fair elections for the transitional Constituent Assembly were held in October, increasing freedoms of speech, press, assembly and religious expression. Academics and NGOs have also bene ted from the overthrow of former President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali.

HUNGARY
UKRAINE KAZAKHSTAN

GREECE
Greeces political rights rating fell after the installation of an unelected technocrat as Prime Minister following anti-austerity riots, and the growing in uence of outside entities over the countrys scal and economic policies. Talks continue between Greek debt holders and government over saving the countrys precarious economy.

TUNISIA LIBYA
MOROCCO ALGERIA

GREECE LEBANON
AFGHAN. CHINA

IRAN

PAK. EGYPT

GUATEMALA
Guatemalas political rights rating improved due to progress made by the UN-backed International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), which is investigating corruption, violence, and organised crime within Guatemalan public institutions, political parties, and civil society. The anti-corruption e orts of the countrys Attorney- General have also been praised by Freedom House.
CUBA DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

BAHRAIN
INDIA

MAURITANIA NIGER SUDAN YEMEN THAILAND

VIETNAM

NICARAGUA

BURMA
NIGERIA VENEZUELA ETHIOPIA

BURMA
Civil liberties have improved in line with improved media coverage of news and politics, as well as fewer restrictions on education. The countrys nominally civilian government has released several political prisoners and has allowed political campaigners such as Aung San Suu Kyi to stand in an upcoming by-election.
CAMBODIA

GUATEMALA

GAMBIA
DEM. REP.

CHANGE IN FREEDOM
2011-2012 Signi cantly freer Freer No change Less free Signi cantly less free Countries with improved freedoms Countries where freedoms have declined

ECUADOR

OF THE

KENYA

IVORY COAST

CONGO

GAMBIA
PERU BRAZIL

The worst performer over the last four years, in Freedom Houses view, Gambias freedom status fell from Partly Free to Not Free after President Yayha Jammehs severe suppression of the opposition, media, and civil society in the run-up to the November presidential election. The vote was boycotted by Ecowas monitors because the electoral and political environment was not conducive to free or fair polls.

ANGOLA

ZAMBIA

NAMIBIA

SOUTH AFRICA

ARGENTINA

IVORY COAST
Ivory Coasts political rights rating has improved after opposition leader Alassane Ouattaras assumption of o ce following a reasonably credible 2010 presidential election. He replaced and forcibly removed the former President Laurent Gbagbo, who had refused to accept his electoral defeat.
Source: Freedom House Graphic: John Bradley

LEBANON
Civil liberties have declined due to a violent government response to protests against Najib Mikatis appointment as Prime Minister in January, as well as the imposition of restrictions on those calling for democratic regime change in Syria, resulting in a number of detentions by military intelligence o cials.

BAHRAIN
Civil liberties are judged to have declined after the governments response to the 14 February popular democracy movement, the imprisonment and torture of detainees, a clampdown on critical media, and the use of military trials for civilian activists.