Freedom House calls on President Bashar al-Assad to resign immediately and for the United Nations to initiate an investigation into the deaths of hundreds of Syrians since the unrest began in that country. The ongoing deadly attacks on civilians by Syrian forces, as well as President al-Assad's unwillingness to respond the protesters' demands for genuine political reform in Syria, show that he is not fit to govern the country.

While the world's attention has been focused on Libya, the humanitarian crisis in Côte d'Ivoire has reached devastating proportions and requires a strong and concerted international response. Freedom House today echoes the call of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for the United Nations Security Council to intervene on behalf of the people of Côte d'Ivoire and take necessary measures to assist in the immediate removal of Laurent Gbagbo, including through military action if necessary.

The World Press Freedom Committee (www.wpfc.org), an international organization representing 45 press freedom groups from throughout the world, expressed condemnation of the blocking of the Sunday editions of Argentina's two largest newspapers, Clarín and La Nación, on March 27.

The International Partnership Group for Azerbaijan condemns the 26 March 2011 abduction and beating of journalist Seymur Khaziyev. The group is deeply concerned by the cycle of violence against journalists and impunity for those who commit such attacks in Azerbaijan, and calls on the authorities to immediately and impartially investigate all instances of violence against journalists and bring the perpetrators to justice.

Freedom House and the Progressive Policy Institute today announced the creation of an Iran Strategy Task Force, Beyond Sanctions: The Next Iran Strategy. Convening leading scholars and analysts, the joint task force will formulate new approaches to dealing with Iran and make recommendations after meeting with key policymakers in the Obama Administration, Members and Staff in the U.S. Congress, other experts from the U.S. and abroad, and the diplomatic community.

The arrest and detention of peaceful protesters in Moscow yesterday is another example of the Kremlin's continued attempts to inhibit the right of the Russian people to peaceful freedom of assembly, a right which is protected by Article 31 of the Russian Constitution, according to Freedom House.

Cambodia's proposed law on Associations and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) contains provisions that place troubling restrictions on the ability of NGOs to organize and function effectively. Freedom House calls on the Cambodian government to abandon the law in its current version as it is fundamentally flawed.

Freedom House strongly condemns the escalating use of violence against protesters in Syria and calls on the government to initiate a process of serious democratic reforms in response to demonstrations by its citizens demanding their basic human rights.

One year before the pivotal presidential election in March 2012, Russia confronts an immense and growing corruption problem at all levels of government and society that severely threatens chances for reform, according to a special report released today by Freedom House and the Latvian policy institute Providus.

Freedom House applauds two significant steps taken today by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC): the appointment of a special investigator to explore human rights abuses in Iran and the passage of a strong resolution to combat religious intolerance that no longer calls for legal mechanisms to prohibit so-called 'defamation of religions.'