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USIA - Human Rights Progress Termed Very Dramatic Over Last Decade, 97-01-31
From: The United States Information Agency (USIA) Gopher at <gopher://gopher.usia.gov>
HUMAN RIGHTS PROGRESS TERMED VERY DRAMATIC OVER LAST DECADE
(Despite specific exceptions such as Rwanda/Bosnia) (600)
By David Pitts
USIA Staff Writer
Washington -- The world has made "very dramatic progress" on human rights
during the last ten years, says John Shattuck, assistant secretary of state
for democracy, human rights and labor.
Speaking at the U.S. Information Agency's Foreign Press Center January 31,
a day after the release of the State Department's annual report on human
rights in countries around the world, Shattuck said progress has occurred
despite some notable exceptions such as the "horrors" of Rwanda and
Bosnia.
Shattuck listed the accomplishments in general. "Virtually all of Latin
America has now become democratic with the exception of Cuba," he remarked.
"Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union have been transformed" as a
result of the collapse of communism in the region, and "many countries in
Africa, most dramatically South Africa," also have become democratic, he
added.
In the post-Cold War world, there now are "new opportunities" to advance
human rights that were not possible during the days of the superpower
conflict, Shattuck said. "We are beginning to contemplate the creation of
an international criminal court" that could prosecute war crimes that have
taken place other than in Rwanda and Bosnia, he added.
The annual human rights reports are giving human rights activists around
the world "courage by giving them information," Shattuck continued. Human
rights is a "central component" of U.S. foreign policy -- "perhaps now more
than ever," he noted.
In response to questions, Shattuck commented on specific situations in some
of the 193 countries covered in the report:
- Germany. The report recognizes the "tremendous strength" of German
democracy. But Shattuck also criticized "discrimination based on membership
of a religious organization," the Church of Scientology. "There is a
question about people to freely exercise their religion in this regard," he
said. However, he also stressed that the administration "is appalled" by
the comparison made by some members of the Church of Scientology between
the situation facing that church in Germany today and the experience of the
Jews under the Third Reich.
- China. The human rights situation there "is horrendous." In particular,
Shattuck spoke of the repression of dissent. "We condemn this repression,"
he remarked. One positive sign is that the Chinese are becoming more open
to some flows of free information, he added.
- Cuba. The situation has "rapidly deteriorated" since the shooting down
of two U.S. planes in international waters. Shattuck said Cuba is not only
repressing dissent, but also resisting the free flow of information.
- Argentina. The overall human rights situation "has improved over the
last decade." Shattuck said he did not have sufficient information to
comment on the alleged murder of an Argentine journalist last week.
- Mexico. The country "has many human rights problems." But Shattuck also
said the government there "is working" to rectify the situation, the "most
serious element" of which, as far as criminal offenses are concerned, is
the lack of prosecution of cases.
- Burma. The human rights situation there is "very serious." Shattuck
cited the continuing refusal of the ruling elite to allow the democratically-
elected government to take power. The United States is "actively considering"
additional sanctions on Burma, he noted.
Shattuck conceded that "we have plenty of human rights issues in our own
country." But he stressed the importance of a country having mechanisms to
work on correcting them. For example, he said, the Justice Department
actively seeks to prosecute and correct civil rights violations in the
United States.
From the United States Information Agency (USIA) Gopher at gopher://gopher.usia.gov
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