2008 Human Rights Reports
US Department of State Releases 2008 Human Rights Reports
The United States Department of State released the 2008 Country Reports on Human Rights this past Wednesday, 25 February 2009. The UNPO applauds the United States government for paying close attention to a number of situations directly linked to minority and indigenous rights issues.
In a press release accompanying the release of the reports, Karen Stewart, Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, explained the process of compiling these documents while being mindful of the human rights shortcomings by the US. She stated:
‘The reports themselves are based on information that we have received from governments, multilateral institutions, from national and international nongovernmental groups, and from academics, jurists, religious groups and the media. They have gone through a lengthy process of checking and cross-checking. As we present these reports, the Department of State remains mindful of the both international and domestic scrutiny of our own human rights record.”
Secretary Stewart went on to summarize some trends seen irrespective of geopolitical positioning that marked both triumphs and regressions. The three major trends noted were a) restrictions on personal freedoms and media censorship continued at an alarming pace, b) instabilities in political systems continued to have dire effects on populations, and c) healthy democracies were more aware of human rights abuses and the need to preserve freedoms of individuals. Regarding the latter trend, the reports take into account the fact that democratic institutions do not entirely stave off abuses, but rather encourage a more “vibrant societies” which allow some movement of thought and can demand accountability.
The Department report on Burma focused largely on the overwhelming presence of forced disappearances, arbitrary arrests and detentions, and the denials of fair judicial proceedings. Likewise, the Vietnam report mentioned the arbitrary arrest of Ben Hdok, a Degar of the Central Highlands Montagnard people, and the death of another Degar political prisoner while imprisoned.
The extensive 2008 reports featuring commentary on other UNPO members including Kosova , Southern Cameroons (Anglophone), and Mapuche can be found on the US Department of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor website .
The China Report
In one particularly critical report, the US condemned the repressive People’s Republic of China (PRC) government for committing numerous violations of life and liberty across the various regions under its control.
Speaking to the situation in Tibet, the China Report was stern in its critique of the fatal protests in March 2008. The report further spoke to the issues of disappearance, torture, arbitrary arrests and detentions, political prisoners and detainees, denials of fair public trials, lack of freedoms of speech, press, and internet usage, repression of religion, restrictions of movement, and several other key topics.
“The government's human rights record in Tibetan areas of China deteriorated severely during the year,” the report claims. “The government's human rights record in Tibetan areas of China deteriorated severely during the year.”
The China Report also spoke to the increasing number of political prisoners from the Chinese controlled areas of Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region.
The PRC government was quick to respond to the report, claiming it was a “distortion” of the facts of the matters on the ground, and called the “attacks” on Chinese policies “irresponsible”.
Foreign Affairs
The other side isn’t so happy either.
Human rights groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch were angered following U.S. Secretary of State, Hilary Rodham Clinton’s statements during her recent [February 2009] trip to China which seemed to gloss over China’s human rights abuses in favour of addressing issues of climate change and economics.
"We have to continue to press [the Chinese government], but our pressing on those[human rights] issues can't interfere with the global economic crisis, the global climate change crisis and the security crises,” she said.
Following up on the backlash from this statement from rights groups, Secretary Clinton told the Associated Press that she has displayed a record on being tough when addressing human rights abuses in China, and will remain tough on them in the future.
The State Department continues to be pressed by the national and international media, and citizens from home and abroad on the new administrations approach to human rights in foreign policy. President Barack Obama is still under 100 days in office and one can only hope that the human rights reports from last year weigh heavily on the foreign affairs of this administration.
In a press release accompanying the release of the reports, Karen Stewart, Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, explained the process of compiling these documents while being mindful of the human rights shortcomings by the US. She stated:
‘The reports themselves are based on information that we have received from governments, multilateral institutions, from national and international nongovernmental groups, and from academics, jurists, religious groups and the media. They have gone through a lengthy process of checking and cross-checking. As we present these reports, the Department of State remains mindful of the both international and domestic scrutiny of our own human rights record.”
Secretary Stewart went on to summarize some trends seen irrespective of geopolitical positioning that marked both triumphs and regressions. The three major trends noted were a) restrictions on personal freedoms and media censorship continued at an alarming pace, b) instabilities in political systems continued to have dire effects on populations, and c) healthy democracies were more aware of human rights abuses and the need to preserve freedoms of individuals. Regarding the latter trend, the reports take into account the fact that democratic institutions do not entirely stave off abuses, but rather encourage a more “vibrant societies” which allow some movement of thought and can demand accountability.
The Department report on Burma focused largely on the overwhelming presence of forced disappearances, arbitrary arrests and detentions, and the denials of fair judicial proceedings. Likewise, the Vietnam report mentioned the arbitrary arrest of Ben Hdok, a Degar of the Central Highlands Montagnard people, and the death of another Degar political prisoner while imprisoned.
The extensive 2008 reports featuring commentary on other UNPO members including Kosova , Southern Cameroons (Anglophone), and Mapuche can be found on the US Department of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor website .
The China Report
In one particularly critical report, the US condemned the repressive People’s Republic of China (PRC) government for committing numerous violations of life and liberty across the various regions under its control.
Speaking to the situation in Tibet, the China Report was stern in its critique of the fatal protests in March 2008. The report further spoke to the issues of disappearance, torture, arbitrary arrests and detentions, political prisoners and detainees, denials of fair public trials, lack of freedoms of speech, press, and internet usage, repression of religion, restrictions of movement, and several other key topics.
“The government's human rights record in Tibetan areas of China deteriorated severely during the year,” the report claims. “The government's human rights record in Tibetan areas of China deteriorated severely during the year.”
The China Report also spoke to the increasing number of political prisoners from the Chinese controlled areas of Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region.
The PRC government was quick to respond to the report, claiming it was a “distortion” of the facts of the matters on the ground, and called the “attacks” on Chinese policies “irresponsible”.
Foreign Affairs
The other side isn’t so happy either.
Human rights groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch were angered following U.S. Secretary of State, Hilary Rodham Clinton’s statements during her recent [February 2009] trip to China which seemed to gloss over China’s human rights abuses in favour of addressing issues of climate change and economics.
"We have to continue to press [the Chinese government], but our pressing on those[human rights] issues can't interfere with the global economic crisis, the global climate change crisis and the security crises,” she said.
Following up on the backlash from this statement from rights groups, Secretary Clinton told the Associated Press that she has displayed a record on being tough when addressing human rights abuses in China, and will remain tough on them in the future.
The State Department continues to be pressed by the national and international media, and citizens from home and abroad on the new administrations approach to human rights in foreign policy. President Barack Obama is still under 100 days in office and one can only hope that the human rights reports from last year weigh heavily on the foreign affairs of this administration.
