Armenia is ranked 101 (out of 178 states) in the 2010 Press Freedom Index list issued by Reporters Without Borders organization. In 2009 Armenia occupied 111 line.

Georgia is ranked 99, whereas Azerbaijan only 152.  Azerbaijan’s “neighbors” in the list are such countries as Pakistan, Belarus and Kazakhstan. Turkey’s press freedom index also registered fall, the country is ranked only 138 this year.

Northern European countries, namely Finland, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden are the leaders. On the whole, the experts note fall in press freedom of the European states. Sudan, Syria, Burma, Iran, Turkmenistan, North Korea and Eritrea took last eight lines. 

Reporters Without Borders prepared a questionnaire with 43 criteria that assess the state of press freedom in each country. It includes every kind of violation directly affecting journalists (such as murders, imprisonment, physical attacks and threats) and news media (censorship, confiscation of newspaper issues, searches and harassment). And it includes the degree of impunity enjoyed by those responsible for these press freedom violations. It also measures the level of self-censorship.

“More than ever before, we see that economic development, institutional reform and respect for fundamental rights do not necessarily go hand in hand. The defense of media freedom continues to be a battle, a battle of vigilance in the democracies of old Europe and a battle against oppression and injustice in the totalitarian regimes still scattered across the globe,” said Reporters Without Borders secretary-general Jean-François Julliard in a preview to the list.

Source: www.news.am