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Standing Up for Universal Human Rights
The recently released State Department Human Rights Reports are one way the United States demonstrates its commitment to these universal rights, said Ambassador Robert Gilchrist, Senior Bureau Official for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor.
“Even though our human rights are universal, they are far from universally respected, and the United States recognizes that standing up for these rights is often dangerous. Human rights defenders and civil society leaders around the world often work at great personal risk to improve the lives of all,” he said. “Members of these groups – and those who press for the protection of human rights – are often targeted with threats and harassment, arrest, and violence.”
As we look to the future, one thing is clear, said Ambassador Gilchrist: “U.S. global leadership in defense and support of human rights is as necessary as ever.”
The Human Rights Report presents for each country a credible, carefully vetted report that provides the world with a clear window into the human rights conditions in every corner of the globe, including in Iran, explained Ambassador Gilchrist:
“In 2023, Iran’s dismal human rights record continued to deteriorate. The regime increasingly targeted members of religious and ethnic minority groups, human rights lawyers, journalists, and civil society activists. ... [T]he situation with regard to women continued to deteriorate as well. Iranian women faced increased discrimination through expanded application of punishments against people who violated the mandatory dress code ... leading to protests and widespread acts of civil disobedience.”
“And many [Iranian] women and human rights activists received additional prison sentences for their activism, and they remain behind bars,” said Ambassador Gilchrist.
“The authorities continue to detain, sentence, and execute people in an effort to suppress the peaceful protests that began after the Mahsa Jina Amini’s September 22 death while in custody of the morality police.”
The State Department has imposed visa restrictions and economic sanctions to promote accountability for Iranian authorities’ human rights violations since the most recent crackdown following the 2022 riots.
“By shining a light on the human rights conditions of our adversaries and our partners equally,” said Ambassador Gilchrist, “and by lifting up the selfless efforts of human rights defenders and civil society groups working to improve respect for those rights, the United States is helping contribute to a world where those rights are better protected for everyone.”