The Associated Press
The report’s survey of 194 countries and 14 territories found that Russia had shown “blatant disregard” for judicial independence in sentencing former Yukos CEO Mikhail Khodorkovsky.
Anti-Kremlin protesters were detained on New Year’s Eve while calling for Khodorkovsky’s release. Meanwhile, U.S. President Barack Obama’s administration, while taking a public stand for human rights, has pursued better relations with Russia, the report said.
The number of electoral democracies dropped to 115, the lowest level since 1995, after reaching a high of 123 in 2005.
Ukraine fell from the “free” to the “partly free” category, while Kyrgyzstan moved from “not free” to “partly free” after holding comparatively free elections.