BRATISLAVA, May 3, (WEBNOVINY) — Independent watchdog organization Freedom House put Slovakia on 36th place in its annual world survey of the freedom of press. The organization assessed access to free and independent media in 196 countries in the year 2010. Slovakia shares its place with Cyprus, Lithuania and Malta. For comparison, the Czech Republic placed 26th, Poland 48th and Hungary, strongly criticized by the Freedom House, ended 65th. In 2009, Slovakia ranked 43rd together with Latvia, Surinam, Taiwan, Trinidad and Tobago, and Vanuatu.
The regional average score of Central and Eastern Europe and Former Soviet Union countries did not experience significant changes overall. However, this stable state also masks movements in the two main subregions. While the better-performing Central and Eastern Europe showed an overall decline, the more repressive countries of the former Soviet Union benefited from a dramatic opening in Moldova and small positive steps in Georgia and Kyrgyzstan. On the other hand, among countries that continue raising concerns are Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Russia. Moreover, significant negative trends emerged in Hungary and Ukraine.
Of the 196 countries and territories assessed during 2010, a total of 68 (35 percent) were rated Free, 65 (33 percent) were rated Partly Free, and 63 (32 percent) were rated Not Free, informed Freedom House about its results, adding that the number of people with access to free and independent media dropped to its lowest level in over a decade. The best results were observed in Finland, which was placed 1st, closely followed by Norway and Sweden. Among the ten countries rated worst are Belarus, Burma, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
