Marking 50 Years in the Struggle for Democracy FREEDOM IN THE WORLD 2023 The limited space for free media in Eurasia has diminished further due to new criminal laws and legislative restrictions. Russian authorities criminalized criticism of the war in Ukraine, expanded a punitive “foreign agents” law, and cracked down on the few independent outlets that still operated in Russia. Pro-Kremlin propaganda efforts have become more aggressive abroad, with officials in Belarus and Turkmenistan bolstering Moscow’s image and criticizing democracies for supporting Kyiv. In Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, lawmakers placed additional constraints on media outlets and journalists, passing new legislation that obliged foreign online platforms to register as local legal entities and empowered authorities to censor “undesired” information and ban media outlets without court approval. These efforts to suppress criticism did little to address the root causes of public discontent, which continued to erupt into protests and elicit lethal responses from security forces. Mass demonstrations triggered by increased fuel prices in Kazakhstan resulted in over 200 deaths, and protests in Uzbekistan over proposed constitutional amendments left more than a dozen people dead and hundreds injured. EUROPE: Illiberal forces challenge solidarity against external aggression EUROPE: STATUS BY POPULATION EUROPE: STATUS BY POPULATION EUROPE: STATUS BY COUNTRY EUROPE: STATUS BY COUNTRY EUROPE: STATUS BY POPULATION EUROPE: STATUS BY COUNTRY population TotalTotal population million 630.6630.6 million 17% 2% 17% FREE 2% PARTLY FREE NOT FREE 82% 82% Total Total countries countries 42 4% 14% 4% 14% Peace and freedom in Europe have been threatened not only by Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, but also by far-right leaders who could undermine democratic solidarity. The war in Ukraine forced European democracies to rethink their security needs in 2022. Finland and Sweden dropped their long-standing policies of military neutrality and applied to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), while Germany moved to double its defense budget. The European Union (EU) stood firm and united in imposing sanctions on Russia, providing billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine and welcoming large numbers of Ukrainian refugees. At the same time, a series of important elections signaled the growing strength of right-wing populist parties, which often 28 @ FreedomHouse FREE 42 81% 81% stray from democratic principles and seek cooperation with authoritarian powers. In Italy, Giorgia Meloni and her Brothers of Italy party took the helm of a new governing coalition, though she expressed more support for Ukraine than some of her partners. In Sweden, the Sweden Democrats emerged as the second-largest force in the parliament and enabled a new right-leaning government to take office. In Hungary and Serbia, entrenched illiberal nationalist leaders reasserted their power: Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán defeated a united opposition front, winning a fourth consecutive term, and Serbian president Aleksandar Vučić secured a second five-year term after a decade in government. Nonetheless, illiberal forces were defeated in some countries. French president Emmanuel Macron turned back a strong challenge from far-right candidate Marine Le Pen, and Slovenians #FreedomInTheWorld PARTLY FRE