FREEDOM HOUSE RATES ARMENIAN MEDIA UNFREE

Freedom House international organization published Freedom of Speech-2004 annual report, which rates Armenian media as “unfree” with the 135-th position along with 193 countries listed. Almost all the republics of the former Soviet Union are rated as the countries with “unfree” media. In part, Azerbaijan occupies the 156-th position and Russia is the 148-th. At that, Georgia with “partly free” media is found the 115-th in the chart. According to Freedom House, Denmark, Island, and Sweden are the most successful countries from the viewpoint of freedom of speech while Northern Korea, Cuba and Turkmenistan have been rated as the most unfavorable ones. The report takes into account the legislative security of mass media as well as the level of political pressure. Cases of frightening reporters covering the elections were fixed, for instance, in Azerbaijan and Argentina.