As we note on our website, “Human Rights and Democracy: The 2010 FCO Report” was publicly launched by the Foreign Secretary, William Hague, in London on 31 March, alongside guest speakers Dr Agnes Callamard from the freedom of expression NGO Article 19, and the Iranian Canadian journalist Maziar Bahari.
The report is available online at www.fco.gov.uk/hrdreport. For the first time, users are able to leave public comments on the report. The report will be updated every three months to highlight key events, and it can be printed, searched and shared online easily.
The report highlights both geographical and thematic human rights concerns. On women’s rights, a recent feature of our guest blog by Karia Uriona, the report shows that women continue to face discrimination around the world, and expresses the commitment of Her Majesty’s Government to advance women’s rights and tackle violence against them. The report also highlights concerns about restrictions to freedom of expression on the internet.
The report highlights concerns about the state of human rights in a number of countries, including Libya, Iran – where the report concludes that the human rights situation is bleaker than at any time in the last decade, with more executions per capita and more jailed journalists than any other country – Burma, North Korea, Colombia, China and Belarus. It also assesses the United Kingdom’s own performance, at home and overseas.
Human Rights will continue to be an important focus for the Foreign Office and for this Embassy. We play an active role on the EU Human Rights Working Group here in La Paz, and have accepted the role for that group of liaison point for human rights defenders. If you or your organisation wishes to raise an issue of concern with us, please feel free to do so through Claire.Demaret@fco.gov.uk.