Oppressive Dictators

Africa

Asia

Caribbean

Europe

Middle East

North America

Oceania

South America

The world’s top 10 most oppressive dictators were ranked most recently in 2009 by Parade Magazine, a U.S.-based magazine reaching a total audience of 74 million readers. The dictators featuring on the list are widely viewed as brutal and oppressive for their involvement in human rights abuses, corruption, rigged elections, suppression of free speech and repression of media. Coupled with their enormous power, these dictators also have access to immense wealth which they accumulate through selling natural resources, exploiting their countries people and from funnelling tax money into their own pockets.

Despite the international community acknowledging the brutality of some of the dictators below, some foreign governments choose to support and invest in countries, like Saudi Arabia, that have poor human rights records.

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After taking power in a bloodless military coup in 1989, Omar Al-Bashir has ruled Sudan with an iron fist, crushing any political dissent. In 2009, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for the Sudanese leader for crimes against humanity committed in the Darfur region of the country. Although he is one of the world’s most wanted men, Bashir continues to be involved with human rights abuses, particularly in southern Sudan. Since 2003, 2.7 million people have been driven from their homes as a result of Bashir’s military campaigns which involve pillaging, murder, rape and torture.

Zimbabwe’s ruler, President Robert Mugabe, has been in power since 1980 when he was elected president after rising to prominence in the movement against white-minority rule. Mugabe’s land reform program, which involves the typically violent land seizure of farmland from white Zimbabweans attracts much criticism from foreign governments including the US and UK. The land seizure program coupled with rising inflation and poverty have caused economic meltdown in the country where the annual GDP is just $0.1 USD. Zimbabwean police are renowned for oppressing any political dissent and torture is widespread. Every election since Mugabe came to power has been fraught with accusations of ballot box rigging.

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Burma’s Senior General Than Shwe ruled the poverty stricken country from 1992 but officially gave up his duties as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces in 2011. Shwe still holds considerable power and influence over the military junta and the so called ‘elected’ government. During his leadership and still to this day, free press are strictly prohibited, political gatherings are illegal and democracy protests are banned. In 2008, thousands of pro-democracy protesters were massacred with many more captured, tortured and imprisoned never to be seen again. In 2001, hundreds of thousands of Burmese citizens fled their homes after a military campaign designed to instil fear into the Burmese population.

A highly provocative ruler, North Korea’s Kim Jong-il repeatedly raises concerns in both South Korea and Japan for North Korea’s development of long-range missiles and nuclear weapons. Despite North Korea’s official title being The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), the country is anything but democratic with no elections held and all political opposition banned. Hundreds of thousands of North Korean citizens are thought to be imprisoned in labour camps, where they are subjected to long hours and hard physical work for committing petty crimes. With hoards of personal wealth, Kim Jong-il lives a lavish lifestyle whilst many of the countries people live malnourished and in poverty.

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Saudi Arabia’s King Adbullah bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud has ruled over one of the world’s most oppressive countries since 2005. Torture, public executions, floggings and stoning without legal proceedings are all forms of capital punishment endorsed by King Abdullah and the Saudi regime. Women are severely restricted in the country and have to obtain permission from a male guardian if they want to travel, work, study or marry. Saudi women are also banned from driving and freedom of speech, opposition parties and political gatherings are also banned.

In power since 2003, China’s President Hu Jintao has failed to implicate any progressive political reforms, despite some promises. In 2008, Hu promised to improve China’s human rights record ahead of the Beijing Olympics. However, reforms never came and the countries media became even more restricted whilst religious freedoms also became more tightly controlled. Oppression of Tibetans and ethnic groups, torture, unlawful imprisonment and a lack of labour rights in the country are the subject of much criticism from human rights organisations including Amnesty International.

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Eritrea’s President Isaias Afewerki became leader of the country in 1993 following Eritrea’s independence from Ethiopia. In 2008, Afewerki announced that elections would be postponed for three or four decades, further helping to entrench his regime. Eritrea’s ruler bans all human rights groups and closed down all international development agencies in 1997 in an effort to suppress any opposition. In 2001, 11 top government officials were arrested for petitioning the president for democratic reform. While the officials still languish in prison, they are yet to stand trial and can face execution for committing ‘suspected treason’.

Iran’s Supreme Leader was president of Iran between 1981 to 1989, after which he became the countries religious and spiritual leader, possessing immense influence and power. Under Khamenei’s authority, over 1000 intellectuals were arrested in 2010 whilst riot police used live ammunition against anti-government protesters in 2009, following the countries rigged presidential election. Iranian journalists have been imprisoned without trial in the past for criticising Khamenei’s approach to leadership and his policies.

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One of the world’s longest serving dictators, Gaddafi has ruled Libya for 42 years, since 1969. Accused of crimes against humanity including torture, civilian massacres, burying people alive, and bombing civilian areas the countries ruler faces strong criticism from democratic governments worldwide. Involved in state-sponsored terrorism for personal gain, corruption and misappropriation of funds, Libya’s leader has amassed a huge personal fortune of tens of billions of dollars. According to the Freedom of the Press Index, Libya is the most censored country in the Middle East and North Africa with state media used to influence and control people’s opinions.

When Turkmenistan’s megalomaniac President Saparmurat Niyazov, who was infamous for creating a cult of personality and renaming the months of the year after members of his family, died in 2006 Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov became acting president. Shortly afterwards, in 2007 Berdymukhammedov won a presidential election, widely believed to have been rigged, with 89% of the vote. Since taking power in 2006, the countries president has failed to implement political reform or improve human rights records. Ethnic minorities such as the Baloch community are treated as subordinate second-class citizens.