Political freedom is retreating in large parts of the world including China, Russia, Iran, Pakistan and Venezuela, an independent human rights group said.

There were reversals in political rights and civil liberties in one-fifth of the world's countries in 2007, including some politically crucial states such as Russia and Pakistan, Freedom House said in its annual global survey.

"This year's results show a profoundly disturbing deterioration of freedom worldwide," said Arch Puddington, research director at the US nongovernmental watchdog.

The number of countries that Freedom House labeled as "free" in 2007 stood at 90, representing 46 percent of the global population.

While this number did not change from the previous year, large numbers of countries that were already designated "partly free" or "not free" saw serious regression away from democracy in 2007, the survey said.

Thirty-eight countries showed evidence of declines in freedoms, many of them in South Asia, the Middle East and from the former Soviet Union.

Just 10 countries, including Thailand and Togo, showed positive shifts.

Backsliding was notable in market- oriented autocracies and energy-rich dictatorships, including China, Russia, Iran and Venezuela.

Such countries have engaged in a "pushback" against democracy.

China is the world's most populous country labeled "not free." While there had been some expectations Beijing would initiate reforms ahead of this summer's Olympics, it did not, continuing to crack down on political activists, internet journalists, and human rights lawyers, the survey said.

China ranks just above what Freedom House called "the worst of the worst" countries in terms of political rights and civil liberties - Cuba, North Korea, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Libya, Sudan, Burma and Somalia.

REUTERS