U.S. human rights report still an international benchmark

The report stands as a basic benchmark for global treatment of human rights. It covers almost 200 entities in 2.3 million words of analysis and assessment. A number of countries employ it as one element for determining refugee claims validity.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, pictured. In contrast to practice by previous secretaries, Kerry devoted significant time to addressing human rights abuses when releasing the human rights report. He avoided the traditional 'naming and shaming' of a laundry list of abusers. Although urging action to resolve the ongoing conflict in Syria, he specifically praised human rights progress in Tunisia, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Burma, Vietnam, and Azerbaijan.Photograph courtesy of the U.S. Department of State

Opinion

BY DAVID JONES

April 25, 2016

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Department of State’s annual human rights report (HRR), officially labelled Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, is one of the few residues of the Jimmy Carter administration. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry quietly noted its 40th anniversary during re...

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