Freedom House lists Belarus among world’s most repressive governments :: Charter'97 :: News

Freedom House, a non-governmental organization in consultative status with the United Nations, has listed Belarus among the world’s 18 most repressive governments. The organization released its report, "The Worst of the Worst: The World`s Most Repressive Societies 2005," on March 31, at the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. Six are members of the UN body, charged with monitoring and condemning human rights violations.

The report includes detailed summations of the dire human rights situations in Belarus, Burma (Myanmar), China, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Laos, Libya, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe. Chechnya, Tibet, and Western Sahara are included as territories under Russian, Chinese, and Moroccan jurisdictions respectively.

Significantly, six of the eighteen most repressive governments--those of China, Cuba, Eritrea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Zimbabwe--are members of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), representing nearly 11 percent of the 53-member body.

“Belarus’ political rights rating declined from six to seven due to massive falsifications in the country’s October parliamentary election and referendum on the presidency and an unrelenting campaign against independent media, political parties and civic groups,” Freedom House said.

The country’s civil liberties were rated 6 on a seven-point scale, where seven is the lowest rating.

“The year also witnessed a widespread, systematic campaign of state-directed pressures on newspapers, punishments meted out to opposition leaders and demonstrators, the disbanding of human rights and civic organizations, and efforts at total state control over independent schools.”