US accuses Britain, France, Germany of stifling online speech
The State Department's congressionally required report historically has offered extensive accounts of all nations' records, documenting in dispassionate detail issues from unjust detention to extrajudicial killing to personal freedoms.
For the first report under Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the State Department trimmed sections and took particular aim at countries that have been in the crosshairs of Trump, including Brazil and South Africa.
On China, which the United States across administrations has identified as a top adversary, the State Department report said that "genocide" was ongoing against the mostly Muslim Uyghur people, whose plight Rubio took up as a senator.
But the report also took striking aim at some of the closest allies of the United States, saying that human rights had worsened in Britain, France and Germany due to restrictions on online hate speech.
In Britain, following the stabbing deaths of three young girls, authorities took action against internet users who falsely alleged that a migrant was responsible and urged revenge.
The State Department report accused British officials of having "repeatedly intervened to chill speech."
State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce, without naming Britain specifically, said that online restrictions have targeted "disfavored voices on political or religious grounds."
"No matter really how disagreeable someone's speech may be, criminalizing it or silencing it by force only serves as a catalyst for further hatred, suppression or polarization," Bruce told reporters.
The criticism comes despite Rubio moving aggressively to deny or strip US visas of foreign nationals over their statements and social media postings, especially student activists who have criticized Israel.
In February, Vice President JD Vance used a visit to Germany to champion the far-right AfD party after the country's spy agency called it extremist.
Trump is an avid social media user who frequently berates opponents in personal tones.
Bruce said that previous State Department rights reports had been "politically biased" and that on the level of detail, "sometimes less is more."
Lawmakers of the rival Democratic Party accused Trump and Rubio of treating human rights only as a cudgel against adversaries, inviting charges by Beijing and Moscow of US hypocrisy.
Rubio's State Department has "shamelessly turned a once-credible tool of US foreign policy mandated by Congress into yet another instrument to advance MAGA political grievances and culture war obsessions," said Representative Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
The report said there were "no credible reports of significant human rights abuses" in El Salvador and instead noted a "historic low" in crime.
President Nayib Bukele has unleashed a sweeping crackdown on crime in which rights groups say many innocent people have wound up in detention.
Bukele took in migrants sent from the United States in Trump's mass deportation drive, some of whom have since reported mistreatment during nearly round-the-clock confinement in a maximum-security prison, which took place after the time covered by the report.
Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, who the Trump administration admits was wrongly deported, filed a lawsuit alleging severe beatings, sleep deprivation and inadequate nutrition in El Salvador's CECOT prison.
The report trimmed down its section on Israel, the West Bank and Gaza. It acknowledged cases of arbitrary arrests and killings by Israel but said that authorities took "credible steps" to identify those responsible.
In contrast, the report said that rights deteriorated in 2024 in Brazil, where Trump has pressed against prosecution of former president Jair Bolsonaro, his ally accused of a coup attempt with echoes of the Jan 6, 2021 riot at the US Capitol by Trump's supporters.
Brazil, the report said, has "undermined democratic debate by restricting access to online content deemed to 'undermine democracy,' the report said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
India and China eye resumption of border trade
NEW DELHI: India and China are discussing resuming border trade five years after it was halted, foreign ministry officials on both sides have said, as US tariffs disrupt the global trade order. Past trade between the neighbours across the icy and high-altitude Himalayan border passes was usually small in volume, but any resumption is significant for its symbolism. The two major economic powers have long competed for strategic influence across South Asia. However, the two countries, caught in global trade and geopolitical turbulence triggered by US President Donald Trump's tariff regime, have moved to mend ties. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is expected for talks in New Delhi on Monday (Aug 11), according to Indian media, after his counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar visited Beijing in July. That, as well as agreements to resume direct flights and issue tourist visas, has been seen as an effort to rebuild a relationship damaged after a deadly 2020 border clash between troops. "For a long time, China-India border trade cooperation has played an important role in improving the lives of people living along the border," China's foreign ministry said in a statement sent to AFP on Thursday. It said the two sides have "reached a consensus on cross-border exchanges and cooperation, including resumption of border trade". New Delhi's junior foreign minister, Kirti Vardhan Singh, told parliament last week that "India has engaged with the Chinese side to facilitate the resumption of border trade". No restart date was given by either side. - 'Transitions and challenges' - Successive US administrations have seen India as a longstanding ally with like-minded interests when it comes to China. India is part of the Quad security alliance with the United States, as well as Australia and Japan. However, ties between New Delhi and Washington have been strained by Trump's ultimatum for India to end its purchases of Russian oil, a key source of revenue for Moscow as it wages its military offensive in Ukraine. The United States will double new import tariffs on India from 25 percent to 50 percent by August 27 if New Delhi does not switch crude suppliers. Indian foreign ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal told reporters on Thursday that the partnership between New Delhi and Washington had "weathered several transitions and challenges". Jaiswal said India hoped that the "relationship will continue to move forward based on mutual respect and shared interests". He said India "stands ready" to support the efforts to end the Ukraine war and endorses the summit to be held between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to Indian media, might also visit China in late August. It would be Modi's first visit since 2018, although it has not been confirmed officially. Beijing has said that "China welcomes Prime Minister Modi" for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit opening on August 31. - AFP
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Putin and Trump to hold one-on-one talks on Ukraine in Alaska
MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin and US counterpart Donald Trump will hold direct talks aimed at resolving the Ukraine conflict during their summit in Alaska. The meeting is scheduled for Friday at a US air base near Anchorage, marking Putin's first visit to a Western nation since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who met UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London, will not attend the discussions. Trump has warned Putin to accept a peace deal or face severe consequences after nearly three-and-a-half years of war. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed the talks will begin at 11:30 am local time with only interpreters present. Delegations from both sides will then continue negotiations over a working breakfast. Ushakov stated the main focus will be resolving the Ukraine crisis, though broader security issues will also be discussed. Putin and Trump are expected to hold a joint press conference after their meeting to summarise the outcomes. Putin praised US efforts to end the conflict during a meeting with top Russian officials. He hinted that further discussions with the US could lead to progress on nuclear arms control. On the eve of the summit, Ukraine launched drone strikes on Russia, damaging an oil refinery in Volgograd. Russian forces claimed to have captured two more settlements in eastern Ukraine amid ongoing advances. Zelensky, who refuses territorial concessions, met Starmer in London, where the UK leader reaffirmed support for Ukraine. Starmer posted on social media that Britain would always stand with Ukraine following their talks. European leaders fear Trump and Putin may strike a deal forcing Ukraine into painful compromises. Trump initially suggested territorial swaps but later clarified no land discussions would occur during the summit. Finnish President Alexander Stubb noted Trump is pushing for a ceasefire as a priority. Trump hinted at a potential follow-up meeting involving Zelensky if initial talks succeed. Russia and Ukraine conducted another prisoner exchange, swapping 84 captives each. The Alaska summit represents a critical moment in efforts to end the prolonged conflict in Ukraine. - AFP
The Star
4 hours ago
- The Star
Exclusive-Trump ally Erik Prince plans to keep forces in Haiti for 10 years to fight gangs and collect taxes
August 14 (Reuters) -The prominent Donald Trump supporter and private security executive Erik Prince says he plans to keep his forces in Haiti for 10 years under an arrangement that will eventually give his firm a role in the country's tax-collection system. In an interview with Reuters, Prince said his company, Vectus Global, had reached a 10-year agreementwith the Haitian government to fight the country's criminal gangs and set up a tax collection system. After the security situation is stabilized, the firm would be involved in designing and implementing a program to tax goods imported across Haiti's border with the Dominican Republic, he said. He said he expected to wrestle control of major roads and territoriesfrom the gangs in about a year. 'One key measure of success for me will bewhen you can drive from Port-au-Prince to Cap Haitian in a thin-skinned vehicle and not be stopped by gangs,' Prince said in the interview. Prince would not comment about how much the Haitian government would pay Vectus Global, nor how much tax he expects to collect in Haiti. The new president of the transitional council, Laurent Saint-Cyr, who was inaugurated on August 7 as part of a planned rotation of council leaders, did not respond to requests for comment. Haiti's former council president and prime minister also did not respond to requests for comment. Vectus began operating in Haiti in March, deploying mainly drones in coordination with a task force led by the prime minister, but the long-term engagement and the involvement in tax collection have not been previously reported. A person familiar with the company's operations in Haiti told Reuters that Vectus would intensify its fight against the criminal gangs that control large swathes of Haiti in the coming weeks, deploying several hundred fighters from the United States, Europe and El Salvador who are trained as snipers and specialists in intelligence and communications, as well as helicopters and boats. Prince, a former U.S. Navy Seal, founded the Blackwater military security firm in 1997. He sold the company in 2010 after Blackwater employees were convicted of unlawfully killing 14 unarmed civilians while escorting a U.S. embassy convoy in Baghdad's Nisour Square. The men were pardoned by Trump during his first term in the White House. EXPANDING ROLE Since Trump's return to the White House, Prince hasadvised Ecuador on how to fight criminal gangs and struck a deal with the Democratic Republic of Congo to help secure and tax its mineral wealth. 'It's hard to imagine them operating without the consent of the Trump administration,' said Romain Le Cour Grandmaison, head of the Haiti program at Geneva-based Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime. When asked for comment about Le Cour Grandmaison's assertion, a State Department spokesperson said it has not hired Prince or his company for any work in Haiti. A senior White House official said: "The U.S. government has no involvement with the private military contractor hired by the Haitian government. We are not funding this contract or exercising any oversight.' It's unclear whether Prince's contract would be affected by the change of leadership in Haiti earlier this month. In an August 7 televised address, Saint-Cyr said he welcomed more international support to fight the gangs. 'I am inviting all the international partners to increase their support, send more soldiers, provide more training," he said. "Help us with a more robust international force.' The crisis in Haiti has worsened in recent years, as armed gangs gained territory and attacked hospitals, police stations and prisons, taking control of strategic transport routes and extorting funds from the population. Rights groups accuse the gangs of massacres, rapes, kidnappings and arson. About half the population is food-insecure and over 8,000 people in displacement camps face famine-level hunger. Haiti used to collect half of its tax revenue at the border with the Dominican Republic, but gang control of key transport routes hascrippled trade and cut off state income, a report commissioned last year by Haiti's government and several multilateral organizations found. This has undermined the government's ability to respond to the crisis or deliver basic services, the report said. The Dominican Republic is a key source of grains, flour, milk, water and other food staples for Haiti, according to customs data. Haiti also relies on imports from the Dominican Republic for textiles, consumer goods, and medical supplies. Security contractors working in Haiti have faced challenges operating in a country with entrenched links between the gangs, local police and some factions of the government. Earlier this year, a team from American security firm Studebaker Defense abandoned their mission in Haiti after two of their members were abducted, likely due to corrupt police officials, the New York Times reported. Mounir Mahmalat, who serves as a country coordinator of the World Bank's Fragility, Conflict and Violence Group, said that it was virtually impossible to ensure the safe transport of goods or the security of people working in Port-au-Prince. Other security firms working in Haiti have raised questions about how Vectus would hold onto cleared gang territory as well as the wisdom of channelling resources to private security firms instead of the country's own security forces. "Resorting to private military companies cannot be seen as a solution to insecurity in Haiti,' said Gedeon Jean, head of Haiti's Center for Human Rights Analysis and Research. 'The use of private companies has often resulted in human rights violations.' While a private force could help police restore security, Jean warned against large spending on a foreign company while Haiti's own security forces lack funds and equipment. (Reporting by Anna Hirtenstein in London, Sarah Morland in Mexico City and Harold Isaac in Port au Prince. Editing by Suzanne Goldenberg)
