Freedom House says Ukraine leading democratic decline in CEE

Freedom House, the international nonprofit democracy and human rights watchdog, said in a report yesterday Ukraine had experienced a significant decline in democratic standards in an “alarmingly” short period of time. It said Ukraine, in addition to Hungary, were at the forefront of democratic backsliding in Central & Eastern Europe. In a statement, Freedom House’s president said Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has been systematically breaking down critical checks and balances, pursuing in essence a form of Putinization of power in the country. The 2012 Nations in Transit report is Freedom House’s annual analysis of democratic development in CEE and Eurasia.

Brad Wells: The Freedom House report is more kindling for the growing criticism abroad about democracy issues including the rule of law and treatment of opposition politicians in Ukraine. We continue to see Ukraine becoming more and more isolated as the year wears on, as the government is unlikely to significantly change course ahead of October’s parliamentary election.