Taiwan maintained its status as a “free” country in the latest edition of the Freedom in the World report released yesterday.
With 94 points, Taiwan ranked second in Asia for freedom, the US advocacy group said.
The report, Freedom in the World 2025: The Uphill Battle to Safeguard Rights, said that global freedom declined for the 19th consecutive year due to “political violence and manipulation of elections, ongoing armed conflicts and deepening repression.”
Screengrab from www.freedomhouse.org
The report assesses political rights and civil liberties around the world, providing numerical ratings and descriptive evaluations for each country and region.
This year’s report covers developments in 208 countries and regions from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 last year.
Last year, “60 countries experienced declines in their political rights and civil liberties, while only 34 registered improvements,” the report said.
The report called for everyone who values democracy to work together to defend it in the coming year.
Election-related violence was a major issue, occurring in 40 percent of the 66 places that held national elections last year, it said.
“Candidates were attacked in at least 20 countries, while polling places were attacked in at least 14,” the report said.
“Taiwan’s vibrant and competitive democratic system has allowed for regular peaceful transfers of power since 2000, and protections for civil liberties are generally robust,” Freedom House said on its Web site. “Ongoing concerns include inadequate safeguards against the exploitation of migrant workers and the Chinese government’s efforts to influence policymaking, media and the democratic infrastructure.”
Taiwan’s score of 94 was the same as last year, with 38 out of 40 points in political rights and 56 out of 60 points in civil liberties.
This classifies Taiwan as a “free” country, ranking second in Asia behind Japan, which scored 96 points.
Freedom declined around the world last year with authoritarians solidifying their grip, but South Asia led a series of bright spots, Freedom House said.
The Washington-based group elevated two countries to the status of “free” — Senegal, where the opposition triumphed after the outgoing president’s attempt to delay elections was defeated, and Bhutan, the Himalayan kingdom, which consolidated a transition to democracy with competitive polls.
Bhutan gained the distinction of being the only South Asian country classified as free, while others in the region such as Bangladesh and Sri Lanka made strong gains in the index without changing categories.
Taiwan’s Lee Chia-hao (李佳豪) on Sunday won a silver medal at the All England Open Badminton Championships in Birmingham, England, a career best. Lee, 25, took silver in the final of the men’s singles against world No. 1 Shi Yuqi (石宇奇) of China, who won 21-17, 21-19 in a tough match that lasted 51 minutes. After the match, the Taiwanese player, who ranks No. 22 in the world, said it felt unreal to be challenging an opponent of Shi’s caliber. “I had to be in peak form, and constantly switch my rhythm and tactics in order to score points effectively,” he said. Lee got
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