Washington (EFE).- The United States pointed out this Monday in its annual report on human rights that Russia has perpetrated “war crimes” in the invasion of Ukraine such as summary executions and rapes of women and girls.
In the document, the US admits that the Ukrainian authorities are responsible for human rights violations such as arbitrary executions and torture, but qualifies that “they are not comparable to the scope of Russia’s abuses.”
The report, referring to the year 2022, also mentions Iran for the repression of protests, China for the “genocide” in Xinjiang, and the “authoritarian governments” of Cuba and Venezuela, among others.
This initiative of the Department of State serves as a guide to the United States Congress when determining the foreign aid that is granted to each nation.
“The report makes it very clear that in 2022 we continue to see a setback in the human rights situation in countries on all continents,” said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at a press conference.
“Death and destruction” in Ukraine
The document ensures that the Russian invasion of Ukraine that began in February 2022 has caused “death and destruction” in the European country.
It also credits “reports that members of the Russian forces have committed war crimes and other atrocities,” including summary executions of civilians and “sexual violence” against women and girls.
In addition, Moscow has carried out a “forced deportation of civilians from Ukraine to Russia”, including children who are adopted by Russian families, the document says.
On this, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued last Friday an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin for the deportation to Russia of Ukrainian children taken from orphanages.
This Monday’s report also criticizes that the Ukrainian government of Volodimir Zelensky “has generally not taken adequate measures to prosecute or punish officials who committed abuses.”
China and Iran, singled out
The United States accuses Iran in the document of having responded “with brutality and violence to the peaceful protests” unleashed against the government in the case of Masha Amini, who died in police custody after being arrested for wearing the mandatory veil improperly.
The report again singles out China for the situation in Xinjiang, where it ensures that “genocide and crimes against humanity” continue to be committed against the Uyghur Muslim minority.
Joe Biden’s Executive also denounces the existence of political prisoners in countries such as Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Belarus, where their “authoritarian governments have sentenced hundreds or thousands of peaceful protesters to long and unjust prison terms.”
At the press conference, Blinken announced that he had made the decision to designate the Ethiopian Army and the rebels in the Tigré region as responsible for “war crimes” for the conflict that began in 2020 and ended last year.
“Many of these actions were not random, but deliberately calculated,” said the leader of US diplomacy on abuses committed during the war.
Concern about the situation in Burma, Afghanistan and Syria
In Burma, the military government has killed nearly 3,000 people since the 2021 coup, the report says. The United States concluded in 2022 that the military had committed “genocide” against the Rohingya.
The document also denounces that the Taliban regime in Afghanistan has imposed “relentless” discriminatory measures against women and girls, such as prohibiting their access to schools and universities.
In South Sudan there is a “protracted human rights crisis” due to violence and the breach of commitments by the transitional government, according to the US.
The Syrian president, Bashar al Asad, “continues to imprison, torture and kill opponents” in the Arab country, where more than 154,000 people are still missing by the government or by the self-styled Islamic State (IS).
Blinken admitted that the United States also has “challenges in terms of human rights”, but assured that his government does not sweep them “under the rug” but wants to face them.