The independent Freedom House maintains the leading “yardstick” of freedom and democracy in countries around the world. Its reports for over a decade show that Iran has stayed near the bottom, annually earning one of the worst scores for political rights and civil liberties. For contrast, Iran scored 17 out of a possible 100 points in 2020. In 2023, Iran had dropped further, to 12 out of 100.
Iran also restricts, threatens, and imprisons reporters, earning low marks from Reporters Without Borders in its World Press Freedom Index, which currently reports “Iran has reinforced its position as one of the world’s most repressive countries in terms of press freedom since a huge wave of protests began in reaction to the death, on 16 September 2022, of Mahsa Amini, a student arrested for being “inappropriately dressed”. Iran is now also one of the world’s biggest jailers of journalists.”
World Press Freedom 2023 Index