U.S. State Department Report on Human Rights Cites Sudan as Worst Violator, and Recognizes a “Push Back” Against Democracy; Critics Call the Report Hypocritical
March 12, 2007
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According to the Washington Post, the U.S. State Department has issued its annual human rights report that examines violations and improvements in 196 countries.  In addition to the attention paid to repression of political liberties, “this year’s report addressed Internet freedom and the issue of nongovernmental organizations that are being harassed while carrying out their missions.”  Assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor Barry Lowenkron deemed 2006 “the year of the pushback,” citing restrictive laws on NGOs and access to information over the internet, as well as the consolidation of power in the Executive branch of some regimes.

The Washington Post article reports that Sudan is the world’s worst offender of human rights, and also cites Russia and China as examples of regimes “pushing back” against democracy.  Lowenkron accuses Russia of centralizing power through legislation placing restrains on opposition parties, mass media and NGOs.  He also calls China the worst restrictor of internet access, and that human rights have continued to deteriorate in the country.

Criticisms of State Department Report

The same Washington Post report says that Amnesty International and other human rights groups “took issue with the (Bush) administration for failing to address its own failings (in areas of human rights).”  Amnesty International executive director Larry Cox said the report was full of hypocrisy and omissions, questioning how the United States can criticize other regimes for violations that the United States itself commits, such as holding people in indefinite detention. 

According to numerous reports by the International Herald Tribune, Russia, Brazil and Pakistan are among the countries that have strongly rejected the American report.  Russian officials have called the report “skewed and confrontational,” saying it highlighted the double standards of the United States.  Brazil and Pakistan both rejected the legitimacy of the report.  Pakistan said the report contained “inaccuracies and distortions,” and Brazilian claimed that “it does not accept reports drawn up unilaterally.” 

In response to the State Department report, China has issued its own “Human Rights Record of the U.S. in 2006.”  The full text outlining human rights abuses by the United States can be found at the People’s Daily Online.

Freedom House lists both Pakistan and Russia as “Not Free,” with political rights and civil liberties ratings of 6 and 5.  Brazil is listed as “Free” with ratings of 2 and 2.  The State Department listing of Sudan as the world’s worst violator of human rights correlates with Freedom House, which lists the country as “Not Free,” with ratings of 7 and 7, the worst scores allotted in the study.  The United States is listed as “Free” with ratings of 1 and 1, but is cited in the report for growing infringements of civil liberties.

References:

International Herald Tribune: Brazil rejects U.S. State Department's human rights report

International Herald Tribune: Pakistan rejects U.S. government report on human rights

International Herald Tribune: Russia lashes out at U.S. over 'confrontational' human rights report

People’s Daily Online: The Human Rights Record of the United States in 2006

Washington Post: State Dept. Human Rights Report Faults China's Curbs on Internet