04 March 2002

Human Rights "Especially Important" In Aftermath of 9/11

Washington -- In the aftermath of the events of September 11, the United States views human rights as "especially important," Lorne Craner, assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor, said March 4.

Craner, who spoke in an interview shortly before the release of the annual human rights reports that describe conditions in 190 countries, stressed that President Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell "care very much" about human rights and the issuance of these reports "is a solid indicator of that. They also care about what we do, as well as what we report." The United States has been issuing such reports since 1976. Interest this year is especially high in light of the terrorist attacks last fall.

"Human rights are especially important as one of the means to fight terrorism," Craner continued. "If you look at where terrorists come from -- generally they are not countries that are democratic, and we believe that countries that are able to rid themselves of poverty and set themselves on the road to prosperity and human rights and democracy are much less of a breeding ground for terrorists," he added.

Asked if there are any changes to the way the human rights reports are compiled this year because of the U.S. commitment to fighting terrorism, Craner said, "People are going to be very disappointed if they are looking for the reports to be softened." As in the past, the administration has issued reports on all members of the United Nations, with the exception of the United States itself. "We rely on others to do that; we don't think we would be the best judge of our own performance," he remarked.

Craner also discussed major trends in human rights over the last year. "I would say the situation is getting slowly better -- Peru and Serbia being two good examples where things are improving, where a new government has come in and understood that it needs to be accountable, that there needs to be institutions to safeguard people's rights. There are a number of other countries like that," he noted.

"There also are some interesting trends in the Persian Gulf," Craner continued. "Especially since 9/11, everybody talks about the issue of democracy. There are a number of countries that are taking steps toward that." But there also remain a number of disappointing countries. But I would say in the main there is a slow improvement." There are exceptions, he noted. "North Korea remains the same, Cuba remains the same, China remains the same." But there are "no standouts" in terms of a trend backwards, he added.

The U.S. annual reports on human rights are compiled by the State Department's bureau of democracy, human rights and labor based on information gathered by U.S. embassies around the world. They are completed in Washington after consultation with other State Department bureaus and sources outside the department. This year's reports for all 190 countries can be accessed on the web at www.state.gov