Iran’s crackdown on the press, including detention of 24 journalists, was highlighted by two reports to mark International Press Freedom Day on May 3. Iran ranks among the world’s worst-rated countries on press freedom, according to a new index by Freedom House. The organization assigns countries a numerical rating from 0 (the most free) to 100 (the least free). Iran and Cuba are tied with 92 points.
Freedom House claims that in the worst-rated countries, “independent media are either nonexistent or barely able to operate, the press acts as a mouthpiece for the regime, citizens’ access to unbiased information is severely limited, and dissent is crushed through imprisonment, torture, and other forms of repression.” The following infographic maps the relative freedom ratings of countries.
