The U.S. Department of State released its annual report on human rights on Thursday, with remarks by Secretary of State John Kerry and further remarks by Acting Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Uzra Zeya. Several news outlets discuss findings of the report.

Associated Press: U.S.: N. Korea rights deplorable; problems in Myanmar
“The United States on Thursday condemned ‘deplorable’ conditions in North Korea and said serious abuses against stateless Rohingya Muslims threaten Myanmar’s progress on human rights. The State Department made its assessments in an annual global report on human rights…” (Pennington, 2/27).

Bloomberg News: Syrian War ‘Calamity’ Leads U.S. Report on Human Rights
“The U.S. described the Syrian civil war as a ‘human rights calamity,’ while citing Russia, China, Egypt, Turkey and other nations for abuses against their citizens in an annual State Department report…” (Atlas, 2/28).

Global Post/Kyodo News International: Kerry blasts North Korea over human rights issues
“U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry savaged North Korea in an interview with MSNBC on Wednesday, describing it as an ‘evil, evil place.’ In response to a question about the recent U.N. investigation into the country’s human rights abuses, Kerry said that North Korea ‘is one of the most closed and…cruel places on Earth’…” (2/27).

New York Times: State Department Report Details Suppression of Human Rights Abroad
“The State Department reported Thursday that an increasing number of governments were suppressing political opponents and restricting the freedom of assembly…” (Gordon, 2/27).

Reuters: Kerry delivers Human Rights Report, highlights Syria, LGBT issues
“Secretary of State John Kerry delivers a list of rights issues not only troubling to the U.S., but that have made headlines around the word. … The State Department’s report also focused on LGBT issues in areas ranging from Russia to Uganda…” (2/27).

VOA News: U.S. Alleges Widespread Global Human Rights Violations
“The U.S. is alleging that too many governments around the world are tightening controls on free expression and using repressive laws to ‘deny citizens their universal human rights.’…” (2/27).

VOA News: U.S. Slams Unremitting Crackdown on Human Freedoms
“The United States says too many governments are ‘tightening their grasp’ on basic human freedoms. The finding comes from the State Department’s release of its annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. Those named as the worst actors in the world come as no surprise…” (Seldin, 2/27).

Washington Post: U.S. human rights report focuses more on LGBT discrimination in global community
“Gay and transgender people are singled out for state-sanctioned discrimination or mistreatment in about 80 countries, the United States charged Thursday in the broadest statement yet that Washington considers the treatment of gays a key measure of human rights around the world. The annual State Department review of global human rights practices released Thursday considers lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights alongside more traditional rubrics, such as free speech, political freedoms, and religious liberty…” (Gearan, 2/27).