US Mission Geneva

There is no justification, no excuse for the Syrian security forces to begin yet another crackdown, killing protesters and arresting people suspected of political opposition. We urge the government of Syria to immediately halt its intimidation and arrest campaign, pull its security forces back from Hama and other cities, and allow the Syrian people to express their opinions freely so that a genuine transition to democracy can take place.

U.S. diplomats overseeing human rights and Middle East policy say their work in supporting the pro-democracy movement in the Arab world is pragmatic as well as principled.

We share the concerns raised regarding continued reports of human rights abuses in Somalia. We note with extreme concern, the significant number of civilian casualties caused by the ongoing hostilities, as well the increased recruitment, training, and use of children in armed conflict by all parties to the conflict.

The 2010 edition of the State Department’s annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices was released April 8, 2011. The Secretary of State also announced the launch of a new website to serve as a one stop resource for human rights information from across the U.S. government.

Join us for a discussion with with panelists Michael Posner, Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy and Human Rights, Richard Allan, Director of Policy for Facebook, Peter Barron, Google’s Director of Communications and Public Affairs for Northern Europe, and Brett Solomon, Executive Director of Access!

The United States strongly supports accountability for violations of human rights and international humanitarian law around the world, including in the DRC. We welcome the improvement in regional relations since the reporting period and call on countries in the region to continue to collaborate closely to stop the ongoing atrocities in the DRC.