“Global freedom has declined for the 20th consecutive year,” states the report by the international organisation Freedom House.
It notes that a total of 54 countries experienced a deterioration in political rights and civil liberties, while only 35 recorded improvements. They explain that these declines were largely caused by military coups and efforts by leaders to suppress peaceful dissent or alter constitutional rules to their advantage.All countries of the Western Balkans are marked in yellow, indicating that they are partially free.
Serbia is among the countries where Freedom House recorded the greatest decline in freedoms over the past year.
Serbia ranks fifth in terms of the decline in freedoms. It shares this position, among others, with Bulgaria and the United States.
The largest declines in 2025 were recorded in Guinea-Bissau, Tanzania, Burkina Faso, El Salvador, Madagascar and Georgia.
Freedom House also states that the past two decades of democratic backsliding have affected a wide range of rights and freedoms, but that freedom of the media, freedom of personal expression, and fair trial rights have suffered the most damage.
What does the report say about Serbia?
Serbia, which was also listed last year among the countries with the greatest decline in freedoms, lost three points this year “after authorities retaliated by withholding salaries and employment contracts from teachers and professors who participated in widespread, student-led anti-corruption protests,” the report states.
It also notes that the police used excessive force against demonstrators and failed to protect them from armed groups. The report adds that Serbia is facing democratic backsliding under President Aleksandar Vučić and the Serbian Progressive Party, and that the police and intelligence services have used spyware to monitor journalists, activists, and protest organisers.
It cites an example reported by Serbian investigative journalists — that at least dozens, and possibly hundreds, of personal devices were targeted by a special spyware tool known as NoviSpy, although the exact number is unknown because authorities secretly installed the software during arrests and police interrogations. Freedom House emphasises that awareness of unchecked state surveillance in Serbia has encouraged self-censorship among ordinary citizens.
Other Western Balkan states remain “coloured yellow”
As in previous years, Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and North Macedonia are classified as partially free countries.
It is noted that Montenegro lost one point compared to the previous report, due to numerous government-proposed laws being adopted through expedited procedures without parliamentary debate.
“Political deadlock has hampered other government functions across the region,” the report states. Kosovo is cited as an example, where newly elected MPs failed to form a government for much of the year, while there are claims that the caretaker government exceeded its authority, leading to snap elections. “This stalemate reduced the country’s gains in judicial independence and physical security,” Freedom House notes.
However, the report also states that, despite significant political pressure, courts in Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina delivered rulings that demonstrated their independence.
Global democratic backsliding
The Freedom House report states that authorities in Russia have continued to suppress dissenting voices. “As the Kremlin continued its invasion of Ukraine for a fourth consecutive year, Russian authorities prosecuted an increasing number of people for anti-war speech and activism. In January 2025, two media outlets were designated as terrorist organisations for the first time,” the report says.
It adds that a similar situation exists in China, where the ruling party continues to exert control over political rights and civil liberties by prosecuting journalists, cracking down on growing protests, and restricting international travel.
Regarding Europe, Freedom House notes that respect for political rights and freedoms has remained largely stable, and that the continent remains the freest in the world.
Among countries rated as free, Bulgaria, Italy and the United States recorded the largest declines. In Bulgaria, this is attributed to the aftermath of the 2024 parliamentary elections, which were marked by vote-buying and electoral fraud, while in Italy the government weakened anti-corruption safeguards.
The report also records a decline in freedoms in the United States.
It particularly highlights a January 2025 executive order that shut down the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which funded numerous civil society and independent media projects worldwide, as well as an order mandating the closure of the US Agency for Global Media, which oversees Voice of America, as well as Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia as grant recipients. These changes were implemented rapidly and outside the legislative process, the report states, noting that this affected thousands of organisations in at least 129 countries.
In Belarus, according to Freedom House, authorities used disproportionate violence against demonstrators, with police arresting, beating, and shooting at journalists, while tens of thousands of people were detained, resulting in many pro-democracy leaders and activists going into exile.
Georgia is also cited as an example of a significant decline in freedoms, where opponents of the government were reportedly subjected to physical attacks, harassment, and legal restrictions aimed at hindering the activities of opposition parties and civil society.
“Authoritarian regimes continue to advance worldwide, and only the combined efforts of human rights defenders, civil society organisations, and democratic governments can accelerate the arrival of a day when all people will be able to live in freedom,” the Freedom House report concludes.
This international organisation has been documenting threats to democracy and freedom around the world for more than 50 years. In its reports, it assesses the state of freedom each year in 195 countries and 15 territories, ranking them based on various indicators.
(Radio Free Europe, 20.03.2026)
https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/freedom-house-pad-sloboda-srbija-region-/33710115.html