Azerbaijan was rated as "not free" in Freedom House survey results

The Freedom House survey ranked two Central Asian nations, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, as among the "worst of the worst" when it comes to government repression of individual rights. It also lambasted Russia for conducting "patently unfair" parliamentary elections, and for providing "political, moral and material support to [Central Asian] authoritiarians."

The title of the annual Freedom in the World survey, Freedom in Retreat: Is the Tide Turning?, conveyed a strong sense of unease about the near-term future of civil society development in the world.

"For the past few years, and especially since Ukraine’s 2004 Orange Revolution, a number of the world’s most important autocracies have engaged in what has been called a pushback against democracy promotion," the report asserted. "The pushback differs from past strategies of repressive regimes in that it relies on the use of legal restrictions, tax investigations, bureaucratic regulations and the like to neutralize opposition political parties and civil society organizations that seek political change."

The report, which has been published annually since 1972, rates countries as ‘free,’ ‘partly free,’ and ‘not free.’ In Central Asia, only Kyrgyzstan is rated as ‘partly free.’ Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan are rated as "not free."

As for the three Caucasus states, Georgia and Armenia were ranked as "partly free," and Azerbaijan was rated as "not free." Overall, of the 193 countries surveyed, 90 were deemed "free," 60 were judged "partly free" and 43 received the "not free" designation. The Freedom House survey found "evidence of declines in freedom" in 38 countries, while "only 10 showed positive shifts."

In all, eight countries were labeled "worst of the worst." Joining Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan were two perennial rogue states – North Korea and Libya – along with Burma, Cuba, Somalia and Sudan.

The report by the New York-based organization warned of a "resurgence of pragmatic, market-oriented, or energy-rich dictatorships," a reference to countries like Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. "Strengthened by petroleum-based riches or capital amassed through long-term trade surpluses, these autocracies are unapologetic and increasingly assertive, at home and abroad, in declaring that the paradigm of rights-based governance, as the international community has long understood it, is not relevant for the 21st century," the report added.

Russia is the font of much mischief in Central Asia, working actively to undermine the development of civil society in the region, the report indicated. "In Kyrgyzstan, Russia has used its influence to obstruct political reforms in the wake of the country’s 2005 political opening, which was unique in Central Asia," the report stated.

At home, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s brand of "managed democracy" is, in reality, sham democracy, the Freedom House report suggested, pointing to the country’s recent parliamentary elections. "The Putin regime went out of its way to force parties and candidates with strong democratic credentials off the parliamentary ballot," it said.

Jennifer Windsor, executive director of Freedom House, said that the world’s leading democracies were not doing enough to support civil society development around the globe. "Democratic governments have not worked together effectively to counter these [negative] trends," Windsor said in a written statement. "Those who support freedom – both governments as well as non-governmental actors – must get serious and redouble their efforts to support the frontline defenders of democracy who are under duress."

The report expressed particular disappointment with President Mikheil Saakashvili’s administration in Georgia, saying the country’s democratization image "was sullied" by the imposition of a state of emergency and a violent police crackdown on demonstrators." [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. "Georgia saw both its political rights and its civil liberties ratings decline due to the imposition of a state of emergency following antigovernment demonstrations in November, restrictions on press freedom, and a systematic campaign to marginalize the political opposition," the report said.

Although painting a bleak picture for 2008, Freedom House concluded on an upbeat note. "We should remember that freedom endured dark days during the time of [Nelson] Mandela [in South Africa] and [Lech] Walesa [in Poland], much darker than is the case today," the report said.

"The solidarity of democrats from around the world is essential if the broader momentum toward freedom is to be regained," the report said.

Deirdre Tynan is a freelance journalist who specializes in Central Asian affairs.
© Eurasianet