Washington, 29 February 2024 (MIA) - Global freedom declined for an 18th consecutive year in 2023, according to the latest "Freedom in the World" report released on Thursday by Freedom House. 

North Macedonia remains a Partly Free country, same as Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary, Ukraine and Moldova, the Voice of America in Macedonian reports. 

Serbia has recorded a drop of 21 points and Bosnia and Herzegovina sees a drop of 10 points, which is the biggest drop in the past ten years among the countries in the region. 

The new report found that election manipulation, warfare, and attacks on pluralism were key drivers of the global decline. Nearly 38 percent of the world’s people now live in countries rated Not Free, 42 percent live in Partly Free countries, and only 20 percent live in Free countries.

"Global freedom took a big step backward in 2023. The world faces another crucial test in 2024, as billions of people head to the polls and multiple armed conflicts — including in the Sahel, Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus, and the Middle East — continue to violate people’s basic rights. If democracies do not respond to these challenges, more of the global population will be denied fundamental liberties in the years ahead, ultimately affecting peace, prosperity, security, and freedom for everyone," said Michael J. Abramowitz, president of Freedom House.

Russian invasion of Ukraine continued for a second year, further degrading basic rights in occupied areas and prompting more intense repression in Russia itself. 

The denial of political rights and civil liberties in disputed territories dragged down freedom in the associated countries, including some democracies, notes the Freedom House. 

"Repression in disputed territories was largely perpetrated by autocratic regimes, but the democratically elected governments of Israel and India were complicit in violating basic rights in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and in Indian-administered Kashmir, respectively," reads the report.

"This year will be a pivotal one for democratic societies and their efforts to advance the cause of freedom around the world. Upholding the rights of those in disputed territories, reinforcing guardrails for free and fair elections, and responding swiftly when antidemocratic leaders seek to overthrow elected governments are just some of the actions that must be taken consistently to stop the global decline," said Yana Gorokhovskaia, the report’s co-author and Freedom House’s research director for strategy and design. 

In countries including Cambodia, Guatemala, Poland, Turkey, and Zimbabwe, incumbents tried to control electoral competition, hinder their political opponents, or prevent them from taking power after election day. Such efforts notably failed to block changes in government in Guatemala and Poland, the report notes. 

Freedom House identifies a number of measures that democratic governments can implement to protect and expand political rights and civil liberties. Recommendations include providing steady support and flexible funding to those on the front lines of the struggle against tyranny, upholding the rights of people living in disputed territories, protecting free and fair elections in 2024, responding consistently to attempts to overthrow duly elected governments, as well as protecting human rights activists in exile.  

"Freedom in the World" includes scores and detailed country reports on political rights and civil liberties for 195 countries and 15 territories around the globe.

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