U.S. Embassy, Tallinn May 25, 2012
Yesterday, the U.S. Department of State released the 2011 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices – an annual update on human rights conditions around the world. [Available here:
http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls... ]
The U.S. Congress mandated these country reports more than three decades ago to help guide lawmakers’ decisions on foreign aid, but they have evolved into something more. Today, governments, intergovernmental organizations, scholars, journalists, activists, and others around the world rely on these reports to understand where we have seen progress, where progress has come too slowly or at great cost, and all too often, where it has been rolled back.
Remarking on the release, Secretary Clinton said yesterday that: “This has been an especially tumultuous and momentous year for everyone involved in the cause of human rights. Many of the events that have dominated recent headlines … began with human rights, with the clear call of men and women demanding their universal rights. We will support … [these] men and women who want to speak, worship, associate, love the way they choose – we will defend their rights; not just on the day we issue these reports, but every day.” The full human rights report includes 199 country- or territory-specific sections, and are part of an unqualified U.S. commitment to promote human rights worldwide.
