Damascus, March 22 (SANA) Information Minster, Hamza al-Mustafa announced on Sunday that Syria has made notable progress in the Freedom House Global Freedom Index, highlighting improvements in freedoms and governance indicators amid a global decline in civil and political rights.
In a post on “X”, al-Mustafa said the summary of the report published on the organization’s official website placed Syria among the countries with the largest annual increase (+5 points), alongside Bolivia and Sri Lanka.
The minister attributed the rise to gains in key areas, including freedom of expression and the media, the absence of journalist arrests, the presence of independent and private media outlets, and broader personal freedoms.
Al-Mustafa noted that these advances come at a time when 54 countries worldwide experienced declines in political and civil rights, underlining Syria’s progress against a backdrop of global setbacks.
While acknowledging some academic criticism of Freedom House’s methodology and variable selection, the minister stressed the index’s continued relevance in research and policy analysis, noting that some major companies have recently begun referencing it in investment decisions.
The minister emphasized that freedom of expression and media is a cornerstone of political legitimacy, particularly in transitional periods, and highlighted the government’s commitment to safeguarding these gains through regulatory frameworks, codes of conduct, and laws that prevent arbitrary use of freedoms.
Al-Mustafa added that the theoretical framework for these regulations has recently been completed, with implementation expected in the near future.
Freedom House has assessed the condition of political rights and civil liberties around the world since 1973, the index is used on a regular basis by policymakers, journalists, academics, activists, and many others.
H.H
