Washington, DC – Earlier today, the Trump administration released watered down versions of the annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, removing or narrowing key sections documenting government corruption, violations of freedom of expression, instances of racial violence, and discrimination against women and LGBTQIA+ persons, among others. Mandated by Congress, these reports guide American foreign policy and support efforts to improve human rights conditions around the world. Foreign Policy for America condemns the removal of these provisions.
“This is yet another example of the Trump administration’s dark vision for the U.S. role in the world. Papering over human rights abuses to please Trump’s favorite dictators does not make us safer, stronger, or more secure,” said Andrew Albertson, Executive Director of Foreign Policy for America. “We all want to live in a world in which individual freedoms are increasingly protected, not threatened. The U.S. has played a powerful role in incentivizing countries to take positive steps — as Secretary Rubio knows well — so this move makes zero sense. Who benefits when the United States turns a blind eye to human rights abuses?”
“These reports are intended to ensure that U.S. foreign policy is grounded in the unvarnished truth, and that taxpayer money does not go to countries that violate the human rights of their people,” said Elisa Massimino, Board Member at Foreign Policy for America and Executive Director of the Human Rights Institute at Georgetown University Law Center. “Governments around the world pay close attention to the reports, and human rights defenders everywhere leverage them to press their own governments to respect rights. The reporting requirement underscores the critical importance of U.S. leadership on human rights, and the essential wisdom of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights–that respect for human rights everywhere is the foundation of global peace and security.”
“Exchange and accountability stemming from global human rights reporting is essential now more than ever to reimagine U.S. global engagement in an era of retrenchment. I’ve seen firsthand how this report can catalyze redress for human rights abuses and we must protect this resource as we advance human rights at home and abroad,” said Alex T. Johnson, Board Member at Foreign Policy for America and Director of the Global Futures Collaborative at Howard University.
