U.S. reports rip abuses of rights

China, Iran, Russia singled out

Acting Secretary of State John Sullivan speaks about the release of the 2017 country reports on human rights practices during a news conference at the State Department in Washington, Friday, April 20, 2018. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Acting Secretary of State John Sullivan speaks about the release of the 2017 country reports on human rights practices during a news conference at the State Department in Washington, Friday, April 20, 2018. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump's administration is lashing out at China, Iran, Russia and North Korea for being "forces of instability" because of human-rights abuses of their own citizens and others.

In its annual global human-rights reports released Friday, the State Department singled out the four countries for egregious rights violations -- including restricting the freedoms of speech and assembly, and allowing or committing violence against religious, ethnic and other minority groups. It said countries that undermine the fundamental dignity of people are "morally reprehensible" and harm U.S. interests.

"The governments of China, Russia, Iran and North Korea, for example, violate the human rights of those within their borders on a daily basis and are forces of instability as a result," acting Secretary of State John Sullivan said in an introduction to the reports -- one for each country and territory in the world. He said the U.S. aims to lead by example and promotes good governance, anti-corruption efforts and the rule of law.

In addition to harshly criticizing those countries by name, the reports, which cover 2017 and are the first entirely produced by the Trump administration, replace sections on "reproductive rights" with one titled "coercion in population control." The shift underscores the Trump administration's anti-abortion position, which has already manifested itself in funding for international health programs and has been criticized by women's health advocates.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had added the "reproductive rights" section in 2012, and it had remained a part of each country's report until this year. Beyond coercion, that section had previously called out countries that denied access to information and services for reproductive health, including contraception.

State Department officials said the phrase "reproductive rights" increasingly became viewed as a loaded term in the United States, with both opponents and supporters of legalized abortion viewing it as a code word for abortion.

"It's not a diminishment of women's rights, or the desire to get away from it," said Michael Kozak, a senior official with the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, which issues the reports. "It's a desire to get away from using a term that has different meanings."

Groups like Amnesty International denounced the reports for that reason and others, maintaining that the administration's domestic policies -- as well as close relationships with countries accused of abuses -- had badly damaged its credibility as a leader in human-rights advocacy.

"From the beginning, this administration has sent the message that the United States will no longer prioritize efforts to hold the global community to account for human rights," Amnesty said in a statement. "The omission of key passages pertaining to sexual and reproductive rights, women's rights and the rights of marginalized populations, combined with the administration's deference to known human rights violators like the governments of Saudi Arabia and Turkey, make us skeptical that these reports present a full picture of human rights around the world."

Another significant change was made in the way the State Department dissects human rights in the section dealing with Israelis and Palestinians.

Previous reports included a lengthy section devoted to Israel and the Occupied Territories. Last year's report mentioned human-rights problems and said the government took "some steps" to punish officials who committed abuses.

This year, the section is titled Israel, Golan Heights, West Bank and Gaza. The introduction to it notes that the State Department sought an Israeli response to allegations of abuse, and that Israel "did maintain generally that all incidents were thoroughly investigated and parties held accountable, as appropriate, according to due process of law."

State Department officials said reports issued by other parts of the government no longer refer to the West Bank and Gaza as occupied territories, and the human-rights report was just catching up to what is now standard practice in the administration. David Friedman, the U.S. ambassador to Israel and a supporter of the settlement movement, has urged the State Department to drop the term.

The reports are critical of U.S. partners and allies like Saudi Arabia and Turkey, but traditional U.S. adversaries are hit hardest. The entries for China, Iran, Russia and North Korea outline a litany of abuses blamed on their governments, which are also accused of failing to hold human-rights violators accountable for their actions.

Information for this article was contributed by Matthew Lee and Josh Lederman of The Associated Press; and by Carol Morello of The Washington Post.

A Section on 04/21/2018

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