Freedom of Assembly Under Attack in Russia

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. The demonstration, organized by leading Russian rights activists, is planned to protest repeated attempts by Russian authorities to deny the right “to gather peacefully and to hold meetings, rallies, demonstrations, marches and pickets,” as guaranteed by Article 31 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation and Article 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

January 12, 2010

Freedom in the World 2010 Survey Release

On January 12, Freedom House released its findings from the latest edition of Freedom in the World, the annual survey of global political rights and civil liberties. According to the survey’s findings, 2009 marked the fourth consecutive year in which global freedom suffered a decline—the longest consecutive period of setbacks for freedom in the nearly 40-year history of the report. These declines were most pronounced in Sub-Saharan Africa, although they also occurred in most other regions of the world. Furthermore, the erosion in freedom took place during a year marked by intensified repression against human rights defenders and democracy activists by many of the world’s most powerful authoritarian regimes, including Russia and China. Freedom in the World 2010 reflects developments that took place in the calendar year 2009. The full survey, including the individual country reports, will be available in late spring 2010.

January 07, 2010

Citing Iran Crackdown, Freedom House Launches Net Freedom Initiative

The Iranian government’s mounting efforts to stifle pro-democracy activists have begun to threaten internet freedom for many outside of its borders as well as within. In response to this growing problem, Freedom House has developed an anti-censorship video series that provides assistance to those living in Iran and under other oppressive regimes to overcome government censorship efforts.