[ti:Freedom House Democratic Ideals Threatened Around the World] [ar:Christopher Cruise] [al:In the News] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]This week, the rights group Freedom House [00:03.36]reported a general decline in political [00:06.76]and civil rights around the world last year. [00:10.41]The group said its measure of international freedom [00:15.79]has dropped in each of the past nine years. [00:21.04]It added that democratic ideals [00:24.28]are now under the greatest threat in 25 years. [00:29.79]A Freedom House report [00:32.54]described 2014 as in its words an "exceptionally grim" year. [00:39.83]It noted an explosion of terrorist violence [00:44.24]and aggressive methods worldwide. [00:47.37]Nowhere was the loss of freedom more apparent, it said, [00:52.32]than in the Middle East. [00:54.70]The Islamic State militant group killed large numbers of people [01:00.90]as it captured parts of Iraq and Syria. [01:04.40]Freedom House says ineffective and oppressive leadership [01:10.46]in those countries helped "open the door" to the militants. [01:14.80]Syria received Freedom House's lowest country rating in over 10 years. [01:21.94]Syria has been caught in civil war and terrorist violence. [01:27.64]The new report said Tunisia was the one exception to all the unrest. [01:33.72]It recognized Tunisia as the first Arab country [01:38.72]to become "free" in the past 40 years. [01:43.57]Arch Puddington is vice president for research at Freedom House. [01:48.52]He wrote the new report. [01:50.93]He says the most severe losses in freedom were a result of terrorism. [01:57.90]"One of the most discouraging developments is this upsurge in terrorism. [02:04.85]We have never seen in the past, ever, [02:08.35]seen the impact of terrorism on democracy [02:12.61]to be as significant as it was in 2014." [02:16.09]Arch Puddington says terrorist attacks [02:19.46]have led to thousands of people being displaced. [02:23.71]He adds that women were kidnapped or seized as prizes of war. [02:29.60]He also noted the killing of religious minorities in Africa, [02:35.33]the Middle East and South Asia. [02:38.63]Freedom House says a lack of democratic freedoms [02:43.36]created the environment for terrorism to grow. [02:47.16]The group says about 2.6 billion people live under [02:54.42]what it calls "not free" conditions. [02:57.77]That represents about a third of the world's population. [03:02.77]The report notes Russia's involvement in the violence [03:07.78]in eastern Ukraine and its takeover of the Crimean peninsula. [03:12.90]It criticizes Russian attacks on media [03:16.64]as examples of the government's disrespect for democratic standards. [03:22.51]The report notes the Egyptian government's push-back on democratic gains [03:29.37]and its suppression of the media, human rights groups, [03:34.32]and political dissidents. [03:36.83]Freedom House says the government in Turkey [03:40.65]launched an aggressive campaign against its opponents, [03:44.69]as did the government in China. [03:47.43]Thomas Hughes is executive director of Article 19, [03:52.96]a British human rights group. [03:55.43]He says changes in the United States [03:58.92]and its Western allies hurt democratic ideals. [04:03.37]"The other really worrying trend has been [04:06.53]that in countries in Europe and North America [04:08.81]where we've seen the traditional strong defenders [04:11.12]of human rights internationally, [04:12.85]because of their encroachment around issues [04:15.19]such as mass surveillance, [04:16.61]encroachment around human rights-related issues, [04:19.97]this sets a very negative precedent." [04:21.93]But he and Freedom House say civilians in Ukraine, [04:26.19]Hong Kong and Brazil are pushing back. [04:29.61]Thomas Hughes says recent United Nations work [04:34.10]will help countries on issues [04:36.91]such as human rights and freedom of expression. [04:40.73]"Without those standards, [04:42.66]and without support to grass roots civil society, [04:45.22]you cannot hold governments, [04:47.25]lawmakers and other power brokers to account." [04:49.97]Freedom House says the biggest mistake democracies [04:53.86]can make is to accept the idea that they are helpless [04:59.07]when facing strongmen who use force or threaten others. [05:04.44]It notes that everyday citizens [05:07.64]have shown their willingness to challenge such rulers. [05:11.77]I'm Christopher Cruise. [05:13.85]¸ü¶àÌýÁ¦Çë·ÃÎÊ51voa.com