In the international press freedom index, published on World Press Freedom Day by the non-governmental organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Belarus has remained in the “red” zone for the second year in a row. But recently its position has deteriorated even more: in 2024, the country ranked 167th, which is 10 points lower than in the previous year.
In the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region, the press freedom situation is deteriorating according to RSF. Press freedom is not guaranteed in many countries in the region, and media outlets are increasingly becoming tools for disinformation campaigns.
Russia continues its attack on independent journalism, with more than 1,500 journalists fleeing the country after the invasion of Ukraine. It ranks 162nd in the RSF World Press Freedom Index for 2024. Some may be misled by the fact that Russia’s ranking rose two points from last year. In fact, this was due to the deteriorating situation in other countries: the list of journalists and media outlets recognized by the government as “foreign agents” or “undesirable” continues to grow, and journalists are subject to unwarranted arrests.
In this category, Russia is rivaled only by two other states: Turkmenistan (175th place), where a president with unlimited powers bans any independent information, and Belarus, where the regime persecutes journalists under the guise of fighting “extremism”.
How did Belarus’ neighbors rank in this rating?
12th place: Latvia
13th place: Lithuania
47th place: Poland
61st place: Ukraine
162nd place: Russia
The top 5 countries with the greatest freedom of speech included Norway, Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands and Finland.