Alexander Pracht
Armenia has topped the South Caucasus region in its human rights record despite showing no improvement in recent years, according to a report by the D.C.-based nonprofit Freedom House. The latest score update was published on Friday.
Armenia scored 54 points out of 100 in the Global Freedom Ranking, where scores closer to 100 indicate a higher level of freedom and those closer to 0 the lowest. The country’s score has remained unchanged since 2023, when it dropped by one point from 55.
Freedom House assessed political rights in Armenia at 23 out of 40 and civil liberties at 31 out of 60, qualifying the country as “partly free.”
Armenia has, for the first time, outranked its northern neighbor Georgia, which scored 51 points this year, down from 58 just two years ago, amid what commentators and local opposition groups describe as democratic backsliding.
In the wider region, Turkey scored 32 points, classifying it as “not free.” Azerbaijan received just 6 points, ranking 10th from the bottom among fully sovereign states and below countries such as Syria and Afghanistan. Iran placed slightly higher, with 10 points.
The lowest-ranked country still considered “free” was Lesotho, with 67 points.
Freedom House also runs a separate annual report on internet freedom in countries and territories worldwide. In last year’s assessment, Armenia scored 72 out of 100 points, qualifying as “free” in terms of online freedoms.
Another human rights nonprofit, Human Rights Watch reported mixed progress on human rights in Armenia last month. While commending the authorities for pursuing anti-corruption measures and rule-of-law reforms, the organization flagged what it described as ineffective investigations into allegations of police abuse, the excessive use of pre-trial detention in criminal proceedings, and limited improvement in addressing domestic violence.
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