Worst of the worst: News from March 2009

SUMMARY:

According Freedom House, the "Worst of the Worst Report" was released in 2009 in Geneva.

The report--which chronicles countries that are the "worst human rights abusers"--includes Burma, Equatorial Guinea, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

Chechnya, South Ossetia, and Tibet (which are territories) were also included.

Four territories and 17 countries are profiled in the report.

The countries that were examined were drawn from the 42 countries and nine territories that are currently ranked Not Free in the Freedom in the World 2009--Freedom House's annual survey of political rights and civil liberties.

Freedom House Director of Advocacy Paula Schriefer told Freedom House that the countries in the report have "regimes [that] control the daily lives of citizens by denying them basic human rights such as freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and freedom of belief."

SOURCES:

Freedom House