Taiwan ranked 26th out of 195 countries or territories last year for freedom, but scored ahead of the US and several other Western nations, according to Freedom House’s latest Freedom in the World report.
In Democracy in Retreat, Freedom House said global freedom declined last year for the 13th consecutive year.
“The reversal has spanned a variety of countries in every region, from long-standing democracies like the United States to consolidated authoritarian regimes like China and Russia,” the report said. “The overall losses are still shallow compared with the gains of the late 20th century, but the pattern is consistent and ominous. Democracy is in retreat.”
Photo: Henry Lin, EPA-EFE
Taiwan earned an aggregate score of 93 out of a possible 100, unchanged from the previous year, placing it second in Asia, behind Japan (96), but ahead of France (90), Italy (89) and the US (86).
China, with a score of 11, was tied with Azerbaijan and Yemen for 80th place, and was one of 58 nations or territories designated as “not free.”
“It is estimated that over a million ethnic Uighurs, Kazakhs, and Hui have been forced into ‘reeducation’ centers, from which grisly reports of torture and custodial deaths are emerging,” the report said.
Eighty-six nations or territories were rated as “free” in the report, including Taiwan, 59 were ranked “partly free,” and 50 “not free,” the report said.
On top were Finland, Norway and Sweden, which scored 100.
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