Welcome to Freedom House

Egyptian Bloggers Reveal Hardships in Video at ICANN

Freedom House released a video examining the challenges that Egyptian bloggers face at a conference on internet governance held in Cairo, Egypt November 2-7. In the film, Egyptian bloggers speak of overcoming torture, political intimidation and censure as they push against government restrictions on freedom of expression. The video aired at the 33rd International Public Meeting of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, the international body that coordinates Internet domain names and addresses. Freedom House plans to formally launch its Internet Freedom Project in early 2009 and already has a blog that follows internet freedom issues.

New Internet Freedom Study Out in 2009

With internet freedom increasingly under fire, Freedom House unveiled plans to publish a new pilot study in early 2009 that will rank key countries according to the online rights of their citizens. Freedom House Senior Researcher Karin Karlekar explained the approach and methodology behind the Index of Global Internet Freedom at a seminar covering digital media in repressive regimes held in Copenhagen, Denmark November 10-11.

Rights at Risk

More than 20 percent of the world's countries are experiencing a disturbing reversal in freedom of association, according to a new Freedom House report. Freedom of Association Under Threat examines the increasingly sophisticated tactics authoritarians are using to restrict nongovernmental organizations, human rights groups and independent trade unions. Read the report.

The Future of Foreign Aid

Some of the nation's top foreign policy experts debated how the next U.S. administration should best structure and dispense foreign aid at an event organized by Freedom House in Washington October 28.Participating experts included Larry Diamond, senior fellow at the Hoover Institute, Carol Lancaster, director of the Mortara Center for International Studies, Princeton Lyman, adjunct senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and Dorothy Taft, director of the Office of Democracy and Governance at USAID. Read the transcript. 

Press Releases

Abduction in Zimbabwe Raises Fear of New Crackdown

December 03, 2008 - The abduction today of Jestina Mukoko, one of Zimbabwe's most prominent human rights activists, appears to signal that Robert Mugabe's regime has renewed its campaign of violence against the country’s civil society.

Kazakhstan Fails to Reform as OSCE Chairmanship Nears

December 02, 2008 - Kazakhstan is rushing to adopt legislation that falls short of the reforms it promised last year in its bid to chair the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in 2010.

Latest UN Resolution on "Defamation" of Religions Strikes another Blow to Fundamental Freedoms

November 25, 2008 - The latest UN Third Committee resolution urging all countries to create legal and constitutional systems to prevent "incitement to religious hatred," strikes another blow to fundamental freedoms of expression and belief.

Results of Saipov Murder Investigation Deliver Blow to Free Press in Kyrgyzstan

November 24, 2008 - Friday's statement by the Kyrgyz Ministry of the Interior that the October 24, 2007 murder of journalist Alisher Saipov was not politically motivated raises serious questions regarding the integrity of the investigation process and sends a worrying signal to journalists in Kyrgyzstan.

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In the News

Democratic Doubt

November 30, 2008 - Boston Globe, by Joshua Kurlantzick

Choosing Judges

November 20, 2008 - The Economist

Quiet Rise of Latin America's Center

November 19, 2008 - Christian Science Monitor, by Sara Miller Llana

Global Crisis to Force Badly Needed Reforms on Ukraine

November 19, 2008 - Kyiv Post, by Mark Rachkevych

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