Bahrain Mirror: Freedom House released its annual report on freedom in the world in 2018, entitled, "Democracy in Crisis", stressing on the decline in the level of democracy in countries around the world, rating 25% of countries of the world as "Not Free".

Bahrain was designated as "Not Free," scoring 12/100 points on the Freedom rating scale, i.e. (0 = least free, 100 = most free).

Bahrain was ranked fifth among the countries with the largest decline in rights and liberties over the past decade. Bahrain followed Turkey (Not Free - ranked first), Central African Republic (Not Free - ranked second), Mali (Partly Free - ranked third) and Burundi (Not Free - ranked fourth).

According to the report, democracy faced its most serious crisis in decades in 2017 as its basic tenets-including guarantees of free and fair elections, the rights of minorities, freedom of the press, and the rule of law-came under attack around the world.

Freedom House noted that seventy-one countries suffered net declines in political rights and civil liberties, with only 35 registering gains. This marked the 12th consecutive year of decline in global freedom, adding that "over the period since the 12-year global slide began in 2006, 113 countries have seen a net decline, and only 62 have experienced a net improvement."

Of the 49 countries designated Not Free and described by Freedom House as worst of the worst were 12 countries, including Saudi Arabia. Freedom House said that these 12 countries have the worst aggregate scores, deeming Saudi Arabia an authoritarian regime and criticizing the Saudi-led coalition's war on Yemen.

The report also highlighted that the United States retreated from its traditional role as both a champion and an exemplar of democracy amid an accelerating decline in American political rights and civil liberties.

Arabic Version