(The Freedom Map): Turkey falls to Not Free in 'Freedom in the World 2018' report

[TomSea]

The world is currently sliding into less freedom over all.  The map is pretty self-explanatory. It is interesting how, as before, Mongolia is a freedom green.  The Americas look relatively well.

Turkey falls to Not Free in 'Freedom in the World 2018' report
TM

Turkey’s freedom status has declined from Partly Free to Not Free in “Freedom in the World 2018: Democracy in Crisis,” the annual report released on Tuesday by Freedom House, a US-based independent watchdog organization dedicated to the expansion of freedom and democracy around the world.

“Turkey’s status declined from Partly Free to Not Free due to a deeply flawed constitutional referendum that centralized power in the presidency, the mass replacement of elected mayors with government appointees, arbitrary prosecutions of rights activists and other perceived enemies of the state, and continued purges of state employees, all of which have left citizens hesitant to express their views on sensitive topics,” Freedom House said in its summary of status changes worldwide.

Read more at: https://www.turkishminute.com/2018/01/16/turkey-falls-to-not-free-in-freedom-in-the-world-2018-report-2/

Related, Armenia: http://www.armradio.am/en/2018/01/16/freedom-in-the-world-2018-armenia-artsakh-ranked-as-partly-free/

[Texas Yellow Rose]

Here's what they had to say about us ... https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2018/united-states

[musiclady]

It's not safe to travel there any more either.

That's sad because it has such fascinating history, including Biblical history.

Down with Islamic dictatorships!

[Suppressed]

Not an unbiased source, but I can't disagree.

[Fishrrman]

musiclady wrote above:
"Down with Islamic dictatorships!"

You can get rid of the "dictatorship" part, it's not going to change anything with those countries.

Because in such places, the "dictator" is not "the leader".
The real "leader" of those nations is... someone else.
Can you guess who that might be?

[musiclady]

musiclady wrote above:
"Down with Islamic dictatorships!"

You can get rid of the "dictatorship" part, it's not going to change anything with those countries.

Because in such places, the "dictator" is not "the leader".
The real "leader" of those nations is... someone else.
Can you guess who that might be?

I appreciate your POV, sir, but Turkey was a very, very different place a few years ago than it is now.  Our daughter has led college classes/groups on the missionary journeys of Paul and they traveled freely through Turkey, other than down close to the Syrian border where Antioch is.

We spent time in Istanbul a few years back and took a beautiful boat ride on the Bosphorus, saw the Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque as well as some ancient ruins, and went to a fascinating concert there.  Tourism was booming.

Now we wouldn't go there if our lives depended on it................. and they do.

One doesn't have to agree with a single thing about Islam to see that Turkey has changed dramatically and is very much less free since Erdogan and his thugs with their radical Islamic views, took over.

[TomSea]

https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/freedom-world-2018

The interactive freedom map is here, I might not agree with all of their criteria that they judge countries on but in a general way, they are useful.

Turkey is at 30, Russia is at 20 which is pretty bad. We are 86, UK is 94, 92, something like that, France at about 90, India at 77.

Turkish Minute is basically the counter-press to Turkey and often, the journalists are not even in that country.

It sounds like @musiclady  has a good understanding of the situation.

Even just about 4 years ago, I know people talked about Turkey as a tourist spot.  So, yes, there has been serious change there lately.

[musiclady]

Thank you, @TomSea .