Thursday, May 28, 2009

The World's Worst Dictators

David Wallechinsky's list of this year's World's Worst Dictators stops at 20. But he concedes the list could be a lot longer.

"There are more than 70 countries ruled by dictators who exercise arbitrary authority over their citizens and who cannot be removed from power through legal means. These tyrants suppress the freedoms of speech and religion, and the right to a fair trial. Some also commit torture, execute opponents and starve their own people."

So who did Wallechinsky finally decide on?

1) Omar al-Bashir, Sudan

2) Kim Jong-il, North Korea (photo above right)

3) Sayyid Ali KhamEnei, Iran

4) Hu Jintao, China

5) King Abdullah, Saudi Arabia

6) Than Shwe, Burma (Myanmar)

7) Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe

8) Islam Karimov, Uzbekistan

9) Muammar al-Qaddafi, Libya

10) Bashar al-Assad, Syria

11) Teodoro Obiang Nguema, Equatorial Guinea

12) King Mswati III, Swaziland

13) Isayas Afewerki, Eritrea

14) Aleksandr Lukashenko, Belarus

15) Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan

16) Choummaly Sayasone, Laos

17) Meles Zenawi, Ethiopia

18) Hosni Mubarak, Egypt

19) Paul Biya, Cameroon

20) Vladimir Putin, Russia