HomeReportsBureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor…2017 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices hide 2017 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices The annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices – the Human Rights Reports – cover internationally recognized individual, civil, political, and worker rights, as set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international agreements. The U.S. Department of State submits reports on all countries receiving assistance and all United Nations member states to the U.S. Congress in accordance with the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Trade Act of 1974. Translations In this section / Preface Preface Overview and Acknowledgements WHY THE REPORTS ARE PREPARED HOW THE REPORTS ARE PREPARED The DRL Editorial Team Country Reports Africa (Sub-Saharan) East Asia and Pacific Europe and Eurasia Near East (Middle East and North Africa) South and Central Asia Western Hemisphere Appendix A: Notes on Preparation of the Country Reports and Explanatory Material Appendix B: Reporting on Worker Rights Appendix C: Additional Resources Appendix D: FY 2017 Foreign Assistance Actuals Appendix E: UN General Assembly's Third Committee Country Resolution Votes 2017 Appendix F: United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights Appendix G: Errata Preface We are a nation founded on the belief that every person is endowed with inalienable rights. Promoting and defending these rights is central to who we are as a country. The 2017 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices (The Human Rights Reports) document the status of human rights and worker rights in nearly 200 countries and territories. These reports are required by U.S. law and are used by a variety of actors, including the U.S. Congress, the Executive branch, and the Judicial branch as a factual resource for decision making in matters ranging from assistance to asylum. The 2017 U.S. National Security Strategy recognizes that corrupt and weak governance threatens global stability and U.S. interests. Some governments are unable to maintain security and meet the basic needs of their people, while others are simply unwilling. States that restrict freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly; that allow and commit violence against members of religious, ethnic, and other minority groups; or that undermine the fundamental dignity of persons are morally reprehensible and undermine our interests. The Governments of China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea, for example, violate the human rights of those within their borders on a daily basis and are forces of instability as a result. Our foreign policy reflects who we are and promotes freedom as a matter of principle and interest. We seek to lead other nations by example in promoting just and effective governance based on the rule of law and respect for human rights. The United States will continue to support those around the world struggling for human dignity and liberty. I am pleased to release the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2017 on behalf of the Department of State. John J. Sullivan Acting Secretary of State Overview and Acknowledgements WHY THE REPORTS ARE PREPARED This report is submitted to the Congress by the Department of State pursuant to Sections 116(d) and 502B(b) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961. 19 U.S.C. § 2464, 2467 also require that U.S. foreign and trade policy take into account countries’ human rights and worker rights performance and that country reports be submitted to the Congress on an annual basis. This report includes reports on several countries that do not fall into the categories established by these statutes and thus are not covered by the congressional requirement. The report addresses situations and events in calendar year 2017 only. HOW THE REPORTS ARE PREPARED The Department of State prepared this report using information from U.S. embassies and consulates abroad, foreign government officials, nongovernmental and international organizations, jurists and legal experts, journalists, academics, labor activists, and published reports. U.S. diplomatic missions abroad prepared the initial drafts of the individual country reports. Once the initial drafts of the individual country reports were completed, the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL), in cooperation with other Department of State offices, reviewed and edited the reports, drawing on its own sources of information and the Department of Labor. Bureau officers also consulted experts on worker rights, refugee issues, military and police topics, women’s issues, and legal matters, among many others. The guiding principles were that all information be reported objectively, thoroughly, and fairly. DRL also ensured that all reports followed the same methodology and conformed to standard format and structure. DRL uses hyperlinks to other key human rights documents produced by the Department of State and the Department of Labor. Specifically, readers are asked to follow hyperlinks for complete information on religious freedom issues by consulting the International Religious Freedom Report, on human trafficking by consulting the Trafficking in Persons Report, and on child abductions by consulting the Annual Report on International Parental Child Abduction. Additionally linked is the Department of Labor’s Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor. The DRL Editorial Team Senior Advisor: Marc Susser Coordinator of Human Rights Reports: Stephen Eisenbraun Office Directors and Deputy Directors: Directors: Mark Dieker, Michael Kelleher, Christine Lawson, Stephen Moody, Jon Piechowski, J. Andrew Plowman, Susan O’Sullivan. Deputies: Jaroslaw Z. Anders, Mary Angelini, Matthew Hickey, Catherine Newling, Jennifer Nichols, Jason Vorderstrasse, Yelda Kazimi. Senior Editors: Jonathan Bemis, Jillian Burns, Douglas Dearborn, Stephen Eisenbraun, Jerome L. Hoganson, Victor J. Huser, David T. Jones, Lawrence Lesser, Dennis Dean Tidwell, Julie Turner, Joseph Dean Yap. Editors: Muzna Abbas, Naim Ahmed, Paula Albertson, Wendall Albright, Asim Ali, Jaroslaw Anders, Mary Angelini, Nasreen Badat, Ian Brown, Ann Cody, Sarah Creedon, Alyssia Dobrescu, Kevin Dolliver, Samuel Downing, Christina Droggitis, Mort Dworken, Luke Falcon-Sapp, Joshua Fellman, Richard Figueroa, David Frost, Sheridan Gardner, David Guinn, Charles Gurney, Peter Higgins, Victor Huser, Stephen Kaufman, Orly Keiner, Charles Kellett, Justin Keyes, Esther Kim, Lawrence Lesser, Henrietta Levin, Amy McGann, Andrew Masloski, Hannah Meropol, David K. Meyer, Leslie Moorman, Daniel J. Murphy, Catherine Newling, Bintou Njie, Stephanie Ogorzalek, Molly O’Neal, Thomas Opstal, Jon Piechowski, Steven Pierce, Jessica Rodgers, Ereni Roess, Emily Rose, Christopher Russell, James Sayre, Stephanie Schmid, Daniel Schneider, Corena Sharp, Lisa Sherman, Wendy Silverman, Rachel Spring, Greg Staff, Jennifer Stein, Anne Stotler, Denise Taylor, Leslie Taylor, Dennis Dean Tidwell, Ambar Valles, Dan Vernon, Pilar Velasquez, David G. Wagner, Rachel Waldstein, Meir Walters, Madeleine Wells, Alexander Werman, Lindsey Whitehead, Joseph Dean Yap, Zainab Zaid. Contributing Editors: Cory Andrews, Kerri Spindler-Ranta, Jonathan Collett Technical Editor: Janine Czarnecki Technical Coordinator: Geoffrey Palcher Country Reports Africa (Sub-Saharan) Angola Côte d’Ivoire Kenya Niger South Sudan Benin Democratic Republic of the Congo Lesotho Nigeria Sudan Botswana Djibouti Liberia Republic of the Congo Swaziland Burkina Faso Equatorial Guinea Madagascar Rwanda Tanzania Burundi Eritrea Malawi Sao Tome and Principe The Gambia Cabo Verde Ethiopia Mali Senegal Togo Cameroon Gabon Mauritania Seychelles Uganda Central African Republic Ghana Mauritius Sierra Leone Zambia Chad Guinea Mozambique Somalia Zimbabwe Comoros Guinea-Bissau Namibia South Africa East Asia and Pacific Australia Fiji Mongolia Samoa Tuvalu Brunei Indonesia Nauru Singapore Vanuatu Burma Japan New Zealand Solomon Islands Vietnam Cambodia Kiribati Palau Taiwan China (includes Tibet, Hong Kong, and Macau) Laos Papua New Guinea Thailand Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Malaysia Philippines Timor-Leste Federated States of Micronesia Marshall Islands Republic of Korea Tonga Europe and Eurasia Albania Cyprus Iceland Moldova Serbia Andorra Czech Republic Ireland Monaco Slovakia Armenia Denmark Italy Montenegro Slovenia Austria Estonia Kosovo Netherlands Spain Azerbaijan Finland Latvia Norway Sweden Belarus France Liechtenstein Poland Switzerland Belgium Georgia Lithuania Portugal Turkey Bosnia and Herzegovina Germany Luxembourg Romania Ukraine Bulgaria Greece Macedonia Russia United Kingdom Croatia Hungary Malta San Marino Near East (Middle East and North Africa) Algeria Iraq Lebanon Qatar United Arab Emirates Bahrain Israel, Golan Heights, West Bank, and Gaza Libya Saudi Arabia Western Sahara Egypt Jordan Morocco Syria Yemen Iran Kuwait Oman Tunisia South and Central Asia Afghanistan India Maldives Sri Lanka Uzbekistan Bangladesh Kazakhstan Nepal Tajikistan Bhutan Kyrgyz Republic Pakistan Turkmenistan Western Hemisphere Antigua and Barbuda Chile El Salvador Mexico Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Argentina Colombia Grenada Nicaragua Suriname Barbados Costa Rica Guatemala Panama The Bahamas Belize Cuba Guyana Paraguay Trinidad and Tobago Bolivia Dominica Haiti Peru Uruguay Brazil Dominican Republic Honduras Saint Kitts and Nevis Venezuela Canada Ecuador Jamaica Saint Lucia View report by: 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan The Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burma Burundi Cabo Verde Cambodia Cameroon Canada Central African Republic Chad Chile China (includes Tibet, Hong Kong, and Macau) Colombia Comoros Costa Rica Côte d’Ivoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Democratic Republic of the Congo Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Federated States of Micronesia Fiji Finland France Gabon The Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Grenada Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Honduras Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel, Golan Heights, West Bank, and Gaza Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyz Republic Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macedonia Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Qatar Republic of Korea Republic of the Congo Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Build A Custom Report On This Page search > < Preface Overview and Acknowledgements WHY THE REPORTS ARE PREPARED HOW THE REPORTS ARE PREPARED The DRL Editorial Team Country Reports Africa (Sub-Saharan) East Asia and Pacific Europe and Eurasia Near East (Middle East and North Africa) South and Central Asia Western Hemisphere Appendix A: Notes on Preparation of the Country Reports and Explanatory Material Appendix B: Reporting on Worker Rights Appendix C: Additional Resources Appendix D: FY 2017 Foreign Assistance Actuals Appendix E: UN General Assembly's Third Committee Country Resolution Votes 2017 Appendix F: United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights Appendix G: Errata Tags Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Human Rights Report Back to Top Close 2017 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices Build a Custom Report 01 / Select a Year 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 02 / Select Sections Select All Sections 03 / Select Countries You can add more than one country or area. Select all Deselect all Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan The Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burma Burundi Cabo Verde Cambodia Cameroon Canada Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Costa Rica Côte d'Ivoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Democratic Republic of the Congo Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia Fiji Finland France Gabon The Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Grenada Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria North Korea North Macedonia Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Qatar Republic of the Congo Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Tibet Timor-Leste Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam West Bank Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Build Your Custom Report