US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken has vowed that the United States will speak out about human rights everywhere. The vow came as he bemoaned human rights deteriorations around the world, including in allied countries and “at home”.
Presenting the state department’s first human rights report under President Joe Biden, the Secretary of State revealed that, it is in America’s interest to stand for human rights.
“Some have argued that it’s not worth it for the US to speak up forcefully for human rights; that we should highlight abuse only in select countries, and only in a way that directly advances our national interests.
“But those people miss the point. Standing up for human rights everywhere is in America’s interests. And the Biden-Harris administration will stand against human rights abuses wherever they occur; regardless of whether the perpetrators are adversaries or partners.”
Addressing human right violations “at home”, Blinken averred that the United States acknowledges its own challenges, including “systemic racism.”
“That’s what separates our democracy from autocracies; our ability and willingness to confront our own shortcomings out in the open, to pursue that more perfect union.”
Human rights ‘trend lines move in wrong direction’
The US Secretary of State also voiced alarm over abuses around the world including in China. He iterated claims of “genocide” being committed against the Uighur community by the Chinese government in Xinjiang.
“The trend lines on human rights continue to move in the wrong direction. We see evidence of that in every region of the world.”
The human rights report estimates that more than one million Uighurs and other members of mostly Muslim communities had been rounded up in internment camps in the western region of Xinjiang and that another two million are subject to re-education training each day.
Blinken revealed that the Biden administration is prioritizing coordination with allies, pointing to recent joint efforts over Xinjiang. He also cited joint sanctions in relation to China’s crackdown on democracy in Hong Kong and Russia’s alleged poisoning of opposition leader, Alexei Navalny.
Blinken also voiced alarm over the Myanmar military’s deadly crackdown on pro-democracy protesters, attacks on civilians in Syria and a military campaign in Ethiopia’s Tigray that he has previously called an ethnic cleansing.
US allies’ human right violations
The human rights report, written in “dry, factual language”, did not spare longstanding US allies.
It points to allegations of unlawful killings and torture in allied countries, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. The report, citing human right groups, states that Egypt has imprisoned between 20,000 and 60,000 people mainly because of their political beliefs.
In relation to Saudi Arabia, the report points out that last month, President Joe Biden declassified US intelligence that found that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman authorized the gruesome killing of US-based journalist, Jamal Khashoggi. The president has promised to hold Saudi accountable, sanctioning some individuals involved.
The latest report also details incidents in India under Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, a close US ally.
It quotes that non-governmental groups have pointed to the use of “torture, mistreatment and arbitrary detention to obtain forced or false confessions” in India. The report also quotes journalists in India who have reported a “decline in press freedom”. The journalists say methods employed include physical harassment of reporters, pressure on owners and frivolous lawsuits.
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