Washington – The Trump administration is reducing the annual human rights report of the State Department and focuses on the restrictions on freedom of expression by the American allies, as well as the adversaries.
The reports, which are widely anticipated and read worldwide, have been composed of American diplomats under the mandate of Congress for almost 50 years as a measure of the adhesion of countries to internationally recognized human rights. Last year’s report, which would normally have been published in spring, has already been delayed for months.
“The 2024 Human Rights Report has been restructured in a way that eliminates dismissals, increases the readability of the report and responds more to legislative mandates that support the report,” said a senior state department official on Wednesday in an informative session to journalists.
“We call certain abuses that we believe they deserve to stand out, but just because we focus on an instance does not mean that we are not aware of other cases of human rights abuses,” added the official, noting that the 198 countries and territories appear in the reports.
The delay follows the dramatic cuts to the Office of Democracy, Human Rights and work of the State Department, including the elimination of almost all offices as part of the agency’s mass reorganization this year.
The official dismissed the concerns about the scarcity of personnel and said that the draft of the version that was received from the Biden administration prioritized the things “the American people rejected”, adding that “the process of review and guarantee that the report is readable and that it is based on factically took several months.”
The official said that the report is still being completed, but it would be transmitted to the Congress “in the near future.”
When reporting 2024 is published, it will reflect the values of this administration, said the official, including concerns about a global threat to freedom of expression.
“Governments around the world continue to use censorship, arbitrary or illegal surveillance and restrictive laws against disadvantaged voices, often for political and religious reasons,” said the official.
The official cited the controversial speech of Vice President JD Vance before the Munich Security Conference in February, when he accused the leaders of the European Union of suppressing freedom of expression, particularly that of the extreme right groups.
“We are committed to having Franco conversations with our allies, our partners and also our adversaries to promote freedom of expression worldwide,” said the official.
The report will also focus on the right to life, “the most appreciated fundamental human right of all,” said the official.
“When governments are using means to damage life, destroy life, either through war, either through transnational repression, either through extrajudicial murders, those are problems that we are going to raise.”
The official refused to say directly if the report would address other human rights concerns, such as government corruption and restrictions on participation in the political process, the denial of freedom of movement or the peaceful assembly and access to free and fair elections.
