UK: Human Rights Being Violated by Authoritarian Regimes (excerpt)

By Ed Johnson

2003-09-18 09:09 (New York)

LONDON, Sept 18 AP - The overthrow of Saddam Hussein has improved human rights in Iraq, but elsewhere in the world authoritarian regimes are using torture and execution as tools of oppression, Prime Minister Tony Blair's government said in a report published today.

The Foreign Office said human rights abuse was still commonplace in countries such as Burma, Zimbabwe, China, Iran, North Korea and Saudi Arabia.

[...]

The weighty 306-page dossier briefly mentioned the United States, repeating the government's long held concerns over the use of the death penalty, and the detention of nine Britons at Guantanamo Bay.

[...]

The sixth annual report details Britain's efforts to promote human rights overseas between July 2002 and July 2003, focusing on long-standing problems frequently reported by international human rights groups.

[...]

Concerns about China included the persecution of Falun Gong supporters, restrictions on freedom of speech and "the deprivation of religious and cultural rights in Tibet."

However, the report said there had been improvements in China, including better HIV/AIDS education, revised legislation banning child labor and the opening of an International Committee of the Red Cross office in Beijing.

[...]

 Yearly Archive   Printer Version