Islamabad: Only 5 percent of population in Asia-Pacific had access to Free media in 2013, indicates, US based Freedom House report. Interestingly all important countries that do not have pro-west or pro-US foreign policies are rated as “Not Free” including China, Russia and Pakistan in this report.
China, rated Not Free, continued to crack down on online speech, particularly on microblogs, and also ramped up pressure on foreign journalists.
Press freedom deteriorated in Hong Kong, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and several Pacific Island states, including Nauru, which was downgraded to Partly Free.
Burma and Nepal registered score improvements.
