The international organization Reporters Without Borders has published the annual World Press Freedom Index for 2024. Uzbekistan has dropped to 148th place out of 180 countries, falling 11 positions. The situation with media freedom in the country is described as "very difficult." Last year, Uzbekistan lost 4 positions in the ranking after showing improvement in 2022.
Reporters Without Borders note that the authorities in Uzbekistan "control the media and a large group of bloggers closely linked to the government," with censorship, surveillance, and self-censorship prevailing in the media sphere. Officials "without hesitation exert economic pressure or try to corrupt journalists."
The report highlights a worsening situation with press freedom in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan, despite gaining 2 positions and ranking 120th, is experiencing a "surge in pressure on the media." Kazakhstan continues to decline, dropping from 134th to 142nd place. The quality of online news is improving in the country, but repression is "modernizing," according to Reporters Without Borders. Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan are the only countries in Central Asia where the situation with media freedom is considered "difficult."
- Tajikistan also lost 2 positions and is now ranked 153rd.
- Turkmenistan (175th place) and Belarus (167th) are "competing" for the bottom positions in the ranking.
- Russia occupies the 162nd place and "continues its crusade against independent journalism." More than 1500 journalists have left the country after the invasion of Ukraine.
A significant decline is recorded in Georgia (103rd place, down 26 positions), where the ruling party maintains societal polarization, cultivates closer ties with Moscow, and pursues a policy increasingly hostile to press freedom. Azerbaijan (164th place) also sees a decline in all indicators due to a wave of repression against the media ahead of presidential elections.
Ukraine showed an unexpected result, ranking 61st and rising by 18 positions. Reporters Without Borders note that political interference in journalists' work has decreased, and in case of any restrictions, the media criticize such pressure.
The leaders of the index for many years are countries in Northern Europe - Norway (1st place), Denmark (2), Sweden (3), the Netherlands (4), and Finland (5). The bottom positions in the ranking are occupied by Iran (176th place), North Korea, Afghanistan, Syria, and Eritrea.
According to Reporters Without Borders' assessment, out of the 180 countries included in the ranking, the situation with press freedom is "very difficult" in 36 countries, "difficult" in 49 others, and only "good" in eight countries.
