WASHINGTON, Jan. 17 (UPI) -- The year 2006 saw little change in the global state of freedom in the world, Freedom House said in a major survey of global freedom released Wednesday.
The survey also saw the emergence of a series of worrisome trends that present potentially serious threats to the expansion of freedom in the future.
Freedom in the World 2007, a survey of worldwide political rights and civil liberties, found that the percentage of countries designated as free has remained flat for nearly a decade and suggests that a "freedom stagnation" may be developing.
The continued weakness of democratic institutions -- even after holding democratic elections -- in a number of countries continues to hamper further progress, said the Freedom House report.
"Although the past 30 years have seen significant gains for political freedom around the world, the number of free countries has remained largely unchanged since the high point in 1998.
"Our assessment points to a freedom stagnation that has developed in the last decade," said Jennifer Windsor, Executive Director of Freedom House, "and should lead to renewed policy attention to addressing the obstacles that are preventing further progress.
