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Press Freedom Index: The top 10 worst countries

Syria, Rwanda, and Yemen have fallen to the bottom of the World Press Freedom Index, the media watchdog Reporters Without Borders said today. The three countries join other single-party dominated governments at the bottom of the annual index, while six democratic Northern European nations tied this year as the best places for media freedom.

7. Sudan

  • By Stephen Kurczy Staff Writer

Sudan fell 24 places from last year and is now ranked the 7th worst country in the world for press freedom, and the second worst in Africa.

"The temporary lifting of prior censorship on the print media in Sudan was just a smokescreen," states Reporters Without Borders. The ranking slipped "partly as a result of the closure of the opposition daily Rai-al-Shaab and the jailing of five members of its staff, but above all because of the return of state surveillance of the print media, which makes it impossible to cover key stories such as the future referendum on South Sudan’s independence."

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