US report says Afghan, Lankan human rights ‘remain poor’

The federal government’s prediction of an improving human rights situation in Afghanistanand Sri Lanka that underpins its decision to suspend refugee applications has been thrown into doubt by a major review released by the United States government.

The US State Department’s 2009 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, released last month, has painted a bleak picture for both countries.

It found that Afghanistan’s human rights record “remained poor”, while the security situation in the country had “deteriorated significantly”. It said social discrimination against Shiite Hazaras continued “along class, race, and religious lines”.

The report said human rights problems included extrajudicial killings, torture, violence against women, abuses against minorities, abuse of children, abuse of worker rights, and child labour.

While the situation in Sri Lanka appears more positive, the report detailed widespread human rights abuses. “The government’s respect for human rights declined as armed conflict reached its conclusion,” the report said. – (The Age, Australia)

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