The United States through the State Department has launched the annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices which presents a factual, systematic account of human rights records across nearly 200 countries and territories.
The unveiling was made by the Secretary of States, Antony Blinken on Monday added that each of the country report is held to the same standard developed and developing countries, competitors, as well as allies and partners.
According to him, “So I am pleased to be here to launch the 2023 Human Rights Report. At the end of last year, we marked the 75th anniversary of Universal Declaration of Human Rights, affirming the fundamental idea that “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.”
“Those words 75 years ago enshrined a wide range of universal rights – civil and political, economic, social, cultural – the right to express ourselves freely, to choose our leaders, to worship as we wish, the right to education, to just labor conditions.
“Standing up for freedom and human rights is simply the right thing to do. But defending and promoting this inalienable and universal rights is also profoundly in our national interest. Countries that respect human rights are more likely to be peaceful, prosperous, stable.
“The report that we’re putting out today presents a factual, systematic account of human rights records across nearly 200 countries and territories. Each one is held to same standard developed and developing countries, competitors, as well as allies and partners.
“While the report focuses on human rights challenges abroad, we recognize that the United States faces its own shortcomings. The strength of democracies like ours is that we address those shortcomings, those imperfections openly, without sweeping them under the rug”, the secretary said.
He stated that the report illustrates that there is much work to be done to uphold the rights set out in the Universal Declaration. “We once again see human rights and the rule of law under stress in more ways and in more places across the globe.
“Governments continue to lock up citizens who challenge those in power and call for a better future, from Belarus to Venezuela. Many are young. Of roughly 1,000 political prisoners in Cuba, the average age is just 32.
“Tragically, as we saw with Aleksey Navalny’s unjust imprisonment in a Russian penal colony, incarceration can come with horrific conditions with abuse, even death. Govts like Russia arbitrarily detain foreign nationals for political purposes, using human beings as bargaining chips.
“Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich, and every unjustly held individual deserves to go free. The United States and our many partners will keep working every day to reunite them with their families and to hold accountable govts that engage in this deplorable practice”.
“At the same time, the report shows that governments are extending their abuses beyond their own borders. Nicaragua – attempting to pressure and punish exiled activists by seizing their assets.
“Tajikistan – working with other countries to forcibly return human rights defenders, lawyers, and journalists who’ve fled abroad.
The report documents atrocities reminiscent of humanity’s darkest moments.
“In Sudan, both Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces have committed war crimes. Rohingya in Burma, Uyghurs in Xinjiang, each victims of genocide, crimes against humanity. The United States will continue to raise our deep concerns directly with the governments responsible”.
He went ahead that This year’s report also captures human rights abuses against members of vulnerable communities. “In Afghanistan, the Taliban have limited work for women, shuttered institutions found educating girls, and increasing floggings for women and men accused of, quote, “immoral behavior,” end quote.
“Uganda passed a draconian and discriminatory Anti-Homosexuality Act, threatening LGBTQI+ individuals with life imprisonment, even death, simply for being with the person they loved. Across countries and regions, authorities are increasingly using technology to intimidate, to censor, to surveil.
“Governments are deploying artifical intelligence to spread disinformation, and even tracking people based on their DNA. They’re cutting off and throttling internet access, as Iran did to suppress protests sparked by the death of Mahsa “Zhina” Amini. The Assad regime and others are abusing commercial spyware to target journalists and activists.
Blinken vowed that the United States will be actively working to ensure that emerging technologies are used to bolster rights, not undermine them; to make sure that technology is used to advance equal opportunity, not to discriminate against people.
He cited one example, “we’ve mobilized a coalition of likeminded governments to counter the proliferation and misuse of commercial spyware.
“Today, as part of our government-wide effort, we’re imposing visa restrictions on more than a dozen individuals who contributed to human rights abuses by helping to develop and sell these tools.
“Hamas’s horrific attacks on Israel on October 7th last year, and the devastating loss of civilian life in Gaza as Israel exercises its right to ensure that those attacks never happen again, have also raised deeply troubling human rights concerns.
“We continue to work every day to bring the fighting to an end, to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas and other groups, to uphold international humanitarian law, to prevent further suffering, to create a path toward a more peaceful and secure future for Israelis and Palestinians alike.
The secretary said these are just a few illustrations from the many countries covered in this report. “And the report itself is just one of numerous ways that the United States is working to promote respect for rights and the dignity of all people.
“We also leveraged bipartisan legislation, like the Global Magnitsky Act, and tools like the Khashoggi Ban to hold to account those who perpetrate or profit from human rights abuses. Thanks in part to efforts like these, especially by advocates and citizens who are on the front lines, 2023 also saw some encouraging developments.
“Despite the proliferation of anti-LGBTI+ laws in some parts of the world, countries from Estonia to Japan to Mauricius made important strides in advancing the rights of LGBTQI+ individuals.
“Even as labor activists have been targeted, locked up, and killed, unions from South Africa to Mexico to Brazil improved working conditions and advanced workers organizing themselves – key objectives of the global labor directive that President Biden issued last November.
“Jordan took steps to ensure that children with disabilities could attend school and receive the support that they need. These bright spots are an important reminder that progress on human rights is indeed possible, as long as committed individuals in every part of the globe continue to work to uphold fundamental dignity for all people.
He thanked the remarkably dedicated team across this department and at various posts around the world who have spent months painstakingly compiling this report. “I also want to recognize everyone who helped document the incidents that make up this important resource.
“From journalists, human rights defenders, citizens who are often at great personal risk. Because of each of you, we have a clearer picture of human rights conditions as they are, as well as a renewed determination to strengthen them for the future”, he concluded.
