News In Brief

3 nations gain higher rank in global study of freedom

The fight for civil rights by people in Poland, South Africa, and Yugoslavia has helped transform their countries from ''not-free'' to ''partly free'' nations, according to the latest Freedom House survey.

The human rights organization, in announcing the results of its 10th survey of political and civil rights in the world, stressed, however, that the new ratings owed not to greater freedoms granted by the governments, but to the citizens' political dissent. The three countries, it said, remain ''oppressive societies''.

The survey's examination of 166 countries found 1.7 billion people in 52 nations to be free, 1.1 billion in 56 countries partially free, and 1.9 billion in 58 nations ''not free.''