The United States warned of a continuous “regression” of human rights in the world, in an annual report published this Monday in which it points the finger at Iran, China, Afghanistan and the “authoritarian” governments of Nicaragua and Cuba.
In Nicaragua, “the authoritarian government” of President Daniel Ortega “continues to detain political prisoners and keep them in appalling prison conditions,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a press conference.
The report accuses the Nicaraguan government of “failing to take steps to identify, investigate, prosecute or punish officials who committed human rights abuses, including those responsible for at least 355 murders and hundreds of disappearances” following the 2018 protests.
Ortega “reinforced impunity” for those who violate human rights if they have been “loyal” to him, he adds.
Cuba, described as an “authoritarian state”, also fares badly in this report whose objective, according to Blinken, “is not to preach or embarrass”.
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In this country, “the courts have handed down draconian prison sentences to hundreds of people for protesting for their rights,” denounced the head of US diplomacy.
Washington notes “numerous abuses” on the Caribbean island such as “illegal or arbitrary executions,” “torture and cruel treatment” of political dissidents and prisoners.
On July 11, 2021, thousands of people took to the streets in hundreds of towns in Cuba in protests that resulted in one death, dozens of injuries and more than a thousand detainees, according to various NGOs.
According to official figures, at least 490 protesters were sentenced, some to up to 25 years in prison.
– Allies and rivals –
The report analyzes the situation in nearly 200 countries and territories, and “applies the same standards to everyone, to our allies and partners and to countries with whom we have differences,” Blinken said.
In 2022 “we continue to see a decline in human rights conditions” in countries in all regions, laments the United States.
And among the bad students is Iran, whose regime commits “egregious and constant abuses” against “its own people” after the death in September of the young Mahsa Amini after being detained by the morality police.
Related news: Countries of the region concerned about “systematic violations and abuses of human rights” in Nicaragua
“The authorities have killed hundreds of peaceful protesters, including dozens of children, and have arbitrarily detained thousands,” denounced Blinken, who assured that “torture and gender-based violence is used against the arrested protesters.”
In Afghanistan, from where the United States withdrew its troops in August 2021, the Taliban “return to relentless discrimination, repressing women and girls” restricting their freedom of movement and the right to education and work, the Secretary of State protested.
Human rights are also “further eroded” in Burma, where “the military regime brutalizes” pro-democracy leaders and activists, he said.
China is often the target of US criticism in these reports. This time he accuses him of “genocide and crimes against humanity” for the repression of the Uyghurs, a minority in Xinjiang province. He also criticizes the situation in Tibet and Hong Kong.
– “War crimes” –
Russia, which “launched a full-scale invasion” against Ukraine in February 2022, has committed “numerous war crimes and other atrocities and abuses” including “summary executions, torture, rape, indiscriminate attacks, and deliberately targeted attacks against civilians and infrastructure.” civilian,” the report states.
Blinken also denounced war crimes in Ethiopia by rebels and Ethiopian and Eritrean troops during the two-year war that was ended by a peace agreement reached last November.
“Many of these actions were not random or a mere by-product of the war. They were calculated and deliberate,” he stated.
Blinken opined that the United States should also sing the mea culpa.
“While this report looks at countries around the world, we know that the United States faces its own set of human rights challenges,” he said.
