Interactive Dialogue/Presentation of the Annual Report by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

Statement by the Delegation of the United States of America

Delivered by Ambassador Michèle Taylor

Human Rights Council – 53rd Session

Thank you Mr. President,

Thank you, Mr. High Commissioner, for elevating human rights globally as we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the UDHR and the 30th anniversary of the VDPA.

The United States shares your deep concerns with the increasing restrictions on civic space in China, including the unjust detention and sentencing of human rights defenders Xu Zhiyong and Ding Jiaxi.

We welcome your engagement with the African Union and your recent visit to Ethiopia. The United States fully agrees that transitional justice, accountability, and respect for human rights offer the best pathway to address grievances and divisions in Ethiopia.

In Afghanistan, the United States is gravely concerned by the Taliban’s unacceptable restrictions on women, including access to education and employment.

We share your concerns about threats against human rights defenders in Latin America. We are cautiously optimistic about progress in the Dominican Republic, particularly regarding reported human rights abuses committed by security forces.

We again condemn the regime’s brutal crackdown on peaceful protesters in Iran. In Syria, we likewise condemn the regime’s ongoing human rights violations. We also note concerns about increasing restrictions on freedom of expression in many parts of the broader Middle East and North Africa.

We are deeply troubled by the restrictions imposed by Cambodia on the participation of political parties, as well as the ongoing intimidation of opposition parties, independent media, and civil society.

We are concerned by the global surge in exclusionary rhetoric and violence targeting LGBTQI+ persons simply for being who they are and loving whom they love.

I thank you

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