Civicus rates Taiwan an open society due to its freedoms (screenshot Civicus). Civicus rates Taiwan an open society due to its freedoms (screenshot Civicus).

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan is the only truly open country in Asia for civic movements, according to a report by human rights organizations Civicus and Forum-Asia.

The annual Civicus Monitor document was titled “People Power Under Attack,” CNA reported Wednesday (Dec. 4). The human rights body categorizes countries according to their level of basic freedoms, such as freedom of the press and speech, into five types, ranging from “open” and “narrowed” to “obstructed,” “repressed,” and “closed.”

A total of 43 countries out of 196 were labeled as “open,” with Taiwan the only one in that category from Asia, according to the report. In East Asia, the communist countries of China, North Korea, Vietnam, and Laos all fell into the “closed” category, while Japan and South Korea were considered “narrowed.”

Civicus officials in Bangkok for the presentation of the report described Taiwan as an example of a country where the government listened to protesters. They also described it as a refuge for victims of persecution from other nations, CNA reported.