Survey lists most world's most repressive regimes

AP on Yahoo ^ | 5/6/08 | Barry Schweid - ap

[NormsRevenge]

WASHINGTON - In a worldwide survey, a democracy watchdog organization said 90 countries respect a broad array of basic human rights and political freedom while 103 countries fail to some degree to observe standards of liberal democracy.

Eight countries were judged by Freedom House, the New York-based organization, to have the most repressive regimes. They were Cuba, Libya, Myanmar, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Two restive territories, Chechnya and Tibet, "whose inhabitants suffer intense repression," the organization said, were placed in the lowest category, as well.

Violent repression of protests of food prices in Myanmar, or Burma as it is commonly known, contributed to a further downward trend in the South Asian country, now devastated by a staggering cyclone.

Within the eight countries and two territories "state control over daily life is pervasive and wide-ranging, independent organizations and political opposition are banned or suppressed and fear of retribution for independent thought and action is part of daily life," said Jennifer Windsor, executive director of Freedom House, in issuing the annual report.

Ranked only slightly better than "the worst of the worst" were Belarus, Chad, China, Equitorial Guinea, Eritrea, Laos, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Zimbabwe as well as the Western Sahara territory of North Africa. They severely suppress opposition political activity, impede independent organizing and censor or punish criticism of the state, Windsor said.

Increased corruption and controls on non-governmental organizations placed Chad on the list for the first time. The African country replaced another, Cote d'Ivoire, in this group while the "worst of the worst" remained the same.

Syria showed a downward trend, the report said. While it held elections, candidates' eligibility was tightly circumscribed, new measures to control Internet activity were adopted and prominent reformers were sentenced for signing a declaration supporting Lebanese sovereignty.

Summing up world trends in an interview, Arch Puddington, director of research at Freedom House, said "even while global freedom has stagnated in the past decade we had seen a decline in the 'worst of the worst' countries." But, he said, "that process seems to have come to at least a temporary halt as the 'worst of the worst' countries seem to be pushing back."

[sasportas]

Cuba - Communist
Libya - Islamic
Myanmar - Militarist
North Korea - Communist
Somalia - Islamic
Sudan - Islamic
Turkmenistan - Islamic
Uzbekistan - Islamic

And which is the most repressive of these most repressive? North Korea would win hands down.

[Sherman Logan]

I would think a 50/50 country would be pretty unstable.

[camerakid400]

The President of Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov, is a Communist Dictator.

[Uncle Miltie]

Islam Karimov, is a Communist Dictator.

A two-fer!

[NormsRevenge]

Here ya go..

FREedom House
http://www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=1

Worst of the Worst: The World’s Most Repressive Societies 2008 - PDF

http://www.freedomhouse.org/uploads/special_report/62.pdf

Table for all the countries on page 113.

The US is still in the FREE column. ;-)

[enduserindy]

Eritrea - Hell I thought it was something toward the end of the digestive tract.

[MadMax, the Grinning Reaper]

Have you noticed that this lists contains the countries that the Democrats-LeftWing like the most:

Cuba - Rev. Wright, Jessie Jackson, Rep. Barbara Lee (Dellums)
Libya - Rev. Wright, Jessie Jackson, Farraklan
Syria - Pelosi, Jimmy Carter, McDermott?
Red China - any Democrat and some Republicans
Zimbabwe - Congressional Black Caucus

Eritrea - longtime Marxist, long after Ethiopia freed itself from “The Red Terror” of Mengistu and the Dergue

Equitorial Guinea - once hardcore Marxist. now possibly a lesser form of dictatorship

Laos - freed from Capitalism by Hanoi. Harkin, Kerry, Kennedy, Geo. Miller, David Bonior, etc - i.e. the Old Hanoi Lobby

Cuba, No. Korea, Iran, Syria - Obama would like to speak to you, at your convenience

Why isn’t IRAN on this list?

Burma - socialist - yes.

Somalia - Islamic anarchy

You can visit all of these countries by joining a Fodor’s Tour of Communist Dictatorships, Tinpot-run cesspools, and Islamic Hellholes. Whips and chains will be provided by the tour guides.

[MadMax, the Grinning Reaper]

Have you noticed that this lists contains the countries that the Democrats-LeftWing like the most:

Cuba - Rev. Wright, Jessie Jackson, Rep. Barbara Lee (Dellums)
Libya - Rev. Wright, Jessie Jackson, Farraklan
Syria - Pelosi, Jimmy Carter, McDermott?
Red China - any Democrat and some Republicans
Zimbabwe - Congressional Black Caucus

Eritrea - longtime Marxist, long after Ethiopia freed itself from “The Red Terror” of Mengistu and the Dergue

Equitorial Guinea - once hardcore Marxist. now possibly a lesser form of dictatorship

Laos - freed from Capitalism by Hanoi. Harkin, Kerry, Kennedy, Geo. Miller, David Bonior, etc - i.e. the Old Hanoi Lobby

Cuba, No. Korea, Iran, Syria - Obama would like to speak to you, at your convenience

Why isn’t IRAN on this list?

Burma - socialist - yes.

Somalia - Islamic anarchy

You can visit all of these countries by joining a Fodor’s Tour of Communist Dictatorships, Tinpot-run cesspools, and Islamic Hellholes. Whips and chains will be provided by the tour guides.

[VRWCmember]

From the way the libs speak, you’d think the U.S. would be on that list... For that matter, from the way some FReepers speak, you would think the U.S. would be on that list because of our drinking age laws and speed limits. But according to the survey, the US is still the Land of the Free.

[Onelifetogive]

In a worldwide survey, a democracy watchdog organization said 90 countries respect a broad array of basic human rights and political freedom while 103 countries fail to some degree to observe standards of liberal democracy.

Why can't we form an International Organization of these 90 countries and let the UN "wither and die on the vine"?

[JRandomFreeper]

Where is Berkley on that list?

/johnny

[NormsRevenge]

lol.. in Win Place Show terms, they were Show mostly... but what a show. ;-)

[marktwain]

Yeah.. erie...