2021 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices

Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor

April 12, 2022

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.

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Preface

For nearly five decades, the United States has issued the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, which strive to provide a factual and objective record on the status of human rights worldwide – in 2021, covering 198 countries and territories. The information contained in these reports could not be more vital or urgent given ongoing human rights abuses and violations in many countries, continued democratic backsliding on several continents, and creeping authoritarianism that threatens both human rights and democracy – most notably, at present, with Russia’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine.

The Biden Administration has put human rights at the center of U.S. domestic and foreign policy. We have also recognized our nation has not always succeeded in protecting the dignity and rights of all Americans, despite the proclamations of freedom, equality, and justice in our founding documents. It is through the continued U.S. commitment to advance human rights, both domestically and internationally, that we best honor the generations of Americans who are Black, Brown, or other people of color, indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, LGBTQI+ persons, immigrants, women and girls, and other historically marginalized groups whose advocacy for their rights and for others has pushed America toward a “more perfect union.”

President Biden has called the defense of democracy and human rights the defining challenge of our time. By convening the first Summit for Democracy in December 2021 – bringing together representatives from 100 governments as well as civil society and the private sector – he sparked global attention and vigor toward democratic renewal and respect for human rights. Participating governments made significant commitments to revitalize democracy at home and abroad at the first Summit on which we expect meaningful progress during the current Year of Action and before the time of a second Summit.

The reports paint a clear picture of where human rights and democracy are under threat. They highlight where governments have unjustly jailed, tortured, or even killed political opponents, activists, human rights defenders, or journalists, including in Russia, the People’s Republic of China, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Nicaragua, and Syria. They document abuses of peaceful protestors demanding democracy and fundamental freedoms in countries such as Burma, Belarus, Cuba, Hong Kong, and Sudan. They highlight worrying cases of transnational repression – where governments reach across borders to harass, intimidate, or murder dissidents and their loved ones – as exemplified in the dangerous forced diversion by Belarus of an international commercial flight for the sole purpose of arresting a critical independent journalist.

But they also contain signs of progress and glimmers of hope, as the indomitable will to live freely can never be extinguished. In Iraq, people cast their votes to shape the future of their country in more credible and transparent parliamentary elections than in 2018. In Botswana, a court advanced the human rights of LGBTQI+ persons by upholding the decriminalization of same-sex relations. In Turkmenistan, all imprisoned Jehovah’s Witnesses conscientious objectors to military service were pardoned, a win for freedom of religion or belief. The stability, security, and health of any country depends on the ability of its people to freely exercise their human rights – to feel safe and included in their communities while expressing their views or gender, loving who they love, organizing with their coworkers, peacefully assembling, living by their conscience, and using their voices and reporting from independent media to hold governments accountable. There is much progress to be made, here in the United States and globally. But I know that by working together in the Year of Action and using resources like the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, we can come closer to building a world where respect for human rights is truly universal.

Antony J. BlinkenSecretary of State

Country Reports

Africa (Sub-Saharan)

Angola	Côte d’Ivoire	Guinea	Mozambique	South Africa
Benin	Democratic Republic of the Congo	Guinea-Bissau	Namibia	Somalia
Botswana	Djibouti	Kenya	Niger	South Sudan
Burkina Faso	Equatorial Guinea	Lesotho	Nigeria	Sudan
Burundi	Eritrea	Liberia	Republic of the Congo	Tanzania
Cabo Verde	Eswatini	Madagascar	Rwanda	Togo
Cameroon	Ethiopia	Malawi	São Tomé and Príncipe	Uganda
Central African Republic	Gabon	Mali	Senegal	Zambia
Chad	Gambia	Mauritania	Seychelles	Zimbabwe
Comoros	Ghana	Mauritius	Sierra Leone

East Asia and Pacific

Australia	Japan	Nauru	Singapore	Tuvalu
Brunei	Kiribati	New Zealand	Solomon Islands	Vanuatu
Burma	Laos	North Korea	South Korea	Vietnam
Cambodia	Malaysia	Palau	Taiwan
China (Includes Hong Kong, Macau, and Tibet)	Marshall Islands	Papua New Guinea	Thailand
Fiji	Micronesia	Philippines	Timor-Leste
Indonesia	Mongolia	Samoa	Tonga

Europe and Eurasia

Albania	Cyprus	Iceland	Monaco	Serbia
Andorra	Czech Republic	Ireland	Montenegro	Slovakia
Armenia	Denmark	Italy	Netherlands	Slovenia
Austria	Estonia	Kosovo	North Macedonia	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	Malta	Russia	United Kingdom
Croatia	Hungary	Moldova	San Marino

Near East (Middle East and North Africa)

Algeria	Iraq	Lebanon	Qatar	United Arab Emirates
Bahrain	Israel, West Bank and Gaza	Libya	Saudi Arabia	Yemen
Egypt	Jordan	Morocco	Syria
Iran	Kuwait	Oman	Tunisia

South and Central Asia

Afghanistan	India	Maldives	Sri Lanka	Uzbekistan
Bangladesh	Kazakhstan	Nepal	Tajikistan
Bhutan	Kyrgyzstan	Pakistan	Turkmenistan

Western Hemisphere

Antigua and Barbuda	Canada	Ecuador	Jamaica	Saint Lucia
Argentina	Chile	El Salvador	Mexico	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Bahamas	Colombia	Grenada	Nicaragua	Suriname
Barbados	Costa Rica	Guatemala	Panama	Trinidad and Tobago
Belize	Cuba	Guyana	Paraguay	Uruguay
Bolivia	Dominica	Haiti	Peru	Venezuela
Brazil	Dominican Republic	Honduras	Saint Kitts and Nevis

Appendix A

Notes on Preparation of the Country Reports and Explanatory Material

Acts of Congress mandate the annual submission of the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. The Country Reports cover internationally recognized civil and political rights, including those set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well as worker rights. These include the prohibition on torture or other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment and the prohibitions on arbitrary detention, disappearance, or clandestine detention and other violations of the right to life, liberty, and the security of person. They also include certain rights, such as the right of peaceful assembly and the rights to freedom of expression, association, and religion or belief. Furthermore, the reports cover key internationally recognized worker rights issues, as defined in the Trade Act of 1974, such as the right to freedom of association, the right to bargain collectively, the prohibition of forced or compulsory labor, the status of child labor practices and the minimum age for employment of children, discrimination with respect to employment, and acceptable work conditions.

The Country Reports on Human Rights Practices are prepared by reviewing information available from a wide variety of credible sources, including U.S. and foreign government officials; victims of alleged human rights abuses; academic and congressional studies; and reports from the press, international organizations, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) concerned with human rights. Particularly helpful for citation are NGOs, whether within a single country or those with an international perspective.

The Country Reports cover respect for human rights in foreign countries and territories worldwide. They do not describe or assess the human rights implications of actions taken by the U.S. Government or its representatives.

To comply with the congressional requirement for reporting on human rights practices, the Department provides guidance to U.S. diplomatic missions annually in July for submission of updated reports in September and October. The Department updates these texts by year’s end. Multiple concerned bureaus and offices in the Department of State provide contributions, and the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor prepares a final draft of each country report. The U.S. Department of Labor contributes to material in section 7 on worker rights (see Appendix B for more detail).

The Department strives to make the Country Reports comprehensive, objective, and uniform in scope. We seek a high standard of consistency in the reports despite the multiplicity of sources and the diversity of countries. For purposes of focus and streamlining, the reports select a few illustrative examples of alleged abuses and follow up in most instances only on the previous year’s high-profile unresolved cases. In recent years the Department’s annual instructions on the update of the Country Reports changed the requirement that information be provided even when no abuse was alleged. An example is a reduction in information on prison conditions when there have not been allegations of inadequate conditions. If there has been no allegation concerning the unavailability of potable water in a prison, then the report need not include information on that condition. It is only an allegation regarding the absence of potable water that would raise prison condition concerns and thus be mentioned. This change allowed the reports to increase the focus on reported abuses.

Additionally, the Department’s annual instructions also made changes to sharpen the focus on reports of violations and abuses of internationally recognized human rights and each government’s actions regarding such violations and abuses. For example, the Executive Summary of each report is sharply focused on credible reports of the significant types of violations and abuses of internationally recognized human rights, if applicable to the country concerned. These include reports of extrajudicial killing, torture, harsh and life-threatening prison conditions, and the worst forms of restrictions on freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly, association, and religion or belief, as well as bias-motivated crimes of violence and similar abuses. The summary does not include many other common issues, such as overcrowding in prisons and societal discrimination, but these matters continue to be covered in the body of the reports.

New beginning in the 2020 reporting season and continuing into 2021 was coverage of adverse country actions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic that had a negative impact on human rights. The existing format of the reports is used to report these actions.

Also new for 2021 is the restoration of a subsection on reproductive rights in section 6, Women, which was preceded by an addendum to the 2020 reports on the same subject. Another addition for 2021 is a stronger emphasis on reporting of threats and violence against human rights defenders, particularly those exercising their civil and political rights to advocate for the environment and land as well as indigenous peoples’ rights. Additionally, in section 1.e., this year’s reports have more comprehensive reporting on politically motivated reprisal against individuals located outside the country (otherwise known as “transnational repression”). Finally, in section 1.f., the 2021 reports include greater information about the use of technology to arbitrarily or unlawfully surveil or interfere with the privacy of individuals (e.g., citizens/civil society/journalists/members of minority groups).

While the reports continue to report on societal conditions, including discrimination, that can affect the enjoyment of internationally recognized human rights, we have reduced the amount of statistical data in each of the subsections of the report illustrating those conditions. In the age of the internet, the underlying data is generally available. We have provided links to relevant sources rather than repeat the data in the text of the reports. Such links are consolidated in Appendix C.

Evaluating the credibility of reports of human rights violations and abuses remains difficult. Most governments and opposition groups deny they commit human rights violations or abuses and occasionally go to great lengths to conceal any wrongdoing. There may be few eyewitnesses to specific alleged violations or abuses. Frequently, eyewitnesses are intimidated or prevented from reporting what they know. On the other hand, individuals and groups opposed to a government may have incentive to exaggerate or fabricate abuses. In similar fashion, some governments may distort or exaggerate abuses attributed to opposition groups. The Department seeks to identify those groups (for example, government forces) or individuals for whom available, credible evidence indicates probable involvement in human rights violations or abuses or other problematic conduct.

Many governments that profess to respect human rights in principle may in fact secretly order or tacitly condone violations or abuses. Consequently, the Country Reports look beyond statements of policy or intent to examine what a government actually did to protect human rights and promote accountability, including the extent to which it investigated, brought to trial, or punished those responsible for any violations or abuses.

The Country Reports describe facts relevant to human rights concerns as they have been reported by the sources identified above. Notwithstanding terms that may be used in them, they do not state or reach legal conclusions with respect to domestic or international law.

Occasionally a report may state that a country “generally respected” the rights of individuals. The Department uses the phrase “generally respected” because the protection and promotion of human rights is a dynamic endeavor. It cannot be stated with absolute accuracy that any government always respects these rights without qualification, even in the best of circumstances. Accordingly, reports use “generally respected” as a standard phrase to describe countries that attempt to protect and promote human rights in the fullest sense, and it is thus the highest level of respect for human rights assigned by these reports.

Because the Secretary of State designates foreign groups or organizations as foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs) on the Department of State FTO list, the reports describe as “terrorists” only those groups on the current FTO list.

The following notes on specific sections in each country report provide an overview of the key problems covered, but they are not intended to be comprehensive descriptions:

Arbitrary Deprivation of Life and Other Unlawful or Politically Motivated Killings: Includes killings ordered by governments or committed by governments without fair trial and final appeal guarantees, including when there is evidence of a political motivation. This section also includes illustrative, publicly well-known examples of killings by police or security forces and deaths that resulted from excessive use of force or other abuses contrary to human rights obligations and commitments, including equal protection of law.

While the section generally excludes combat deaths and killings by nonstate actors, it does cover killings by such actors as opposition groups or terrorists or widespread killings by criminal groups. The reports cover deaths in detention due to adverse conditions in section 1.c., under Prison and Detention Center Conditions. Killings by terrorist or other nongovernmental groups are covered after government abuses. In optional section 1.g. used for countries engaged in conflict, the reports cover allegations of civilian casualties, detention-related abuses including torture, and other abuses by the government’s armed forces or other state organs or by nonstate armed groups operating within that state.

Disappearance: Covers cases in which the government may be involved in the detention, abduction, or disappearance of the victim(s) and refuses to acknowledge the detention of or to account for the whereabouts or fate of the victim(s). This includes cases in which the victim(s) has not been found. Cases eventually classified as political killings after the bodies of missing persons are discovered would be covered in the previous section, while those eventually identified as having been arrested or held in detention may be covered in section 1.d., Arbitrary Arrest or Detention.

Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment: Covers torture, defined in the Convention against Torture, Article 1, as “any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind,” and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, defined in the Convention against Torture, Article 16, as acts that do not amount to torture as defined by Article 1, when committed by or at the instigation of, or with the consent or acquiescence of, a public official or other person acting in an official capacity. The subsection discusses reported occurrences without analysis of whether they fit any precise definition, and it includes reported uses of physical and other force that may fall short of torture but which may constitute cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment. This section also may include reports of mistreatment that may not constitute torture or other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment. Furthermore, the section covers prison and detention center conditions and deaths in such facilities due to poor conditions or mistreatment.

If there are reports of patterns of sexual exploitation and abuse by UN or other multinational peacekeeping forces, these incidents are reported in this subsection, and they are included in the country report where the alleged abuse occurred and in the country report where the alleged offender originated. Also included would be corrective action taken by the peacekeeping troop-contributing country.

Arbitrary Arrest or Detention: Includes reports of cases in which detainees are held arbitrarily in official custody without being charged or, if charged, without being brought promptly before a judicial authority with power to detain or without trial within a reasonable time.

Denial of Fair Public Trial: Notes whether there is an independent and impartial judiciary free of corruption or political influence and whether trials are fair and public and afford criminal defendants the minimum guarantees recognized internationally as necessary for a criminal defense (failure to hold any trial under Arbitrary Arrest or Detention). The subsection Political Prisoners and Detainees covers persons convicted, imprisoned, or detained essentially for political beliefs or nonviolent acts of dissent or expression, particularly based on overly broad and sweeping charges intended to stifle the exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms.

If applicable, the section includes a subsection Politically Motivated Reprisal against Individuals Located Outside the Country: This subsection covers reports of a range of acts including killings, kidnappings, or violence taken by states against individuals living abroad, in particular political opponents, civil society activists, human rights defenders, or journalists, seeking to silence criticism and prevent them from exercising their human rights and fundamental freedoms. It also includes credible information regarding a country that, during the year, attempted to misuse international law enforcement tools, such as Interpol systems, for politically motivated reprisals against individuals living outside the country and related efforts by a country to exert bilateral pressure on another country aimed at having that country take adverse action against an individual. Such action could include exerting political pressure for the return of perceived enemies located in other countries.

The subsection Civil Judicial Procedures and Remedies covers whether there is access to an independent and impartial court or other competent authority to seek civil remedies for alleged human rights abuses, such as damages for or cessation of the alleged abuse. If applicable, the section includes a subsection Property Seizure and Restitution if there is a systemic failure of a government to enforce court orders with respect to restitution or compensation for the taking of private property under domestic law. This subsection is not intended to discuss or evaluate individual claims.

Arbitrary or Unlawful Interference with Privacy, Family, Home, or Correspondence: Covers whether government authorities entered homes without judicial or other appropriate authorization, and whether a government accessed, collected, or used private communications or personal data arbitrarily (such as by targeting individuals based on the exercise of their human rights) or without appropriate legal authority. This section also examines if governments have in place laws, regulations, or practices that enable them to use technology to monitor individuals arbitrarily or unlawfully and whether any “national security” laws are used by governments to conduct arbitrary or unlawful surveillance. If necessary, this section also reports if informer systems were employed and if authorities punished family members for offenses allegedly committed by their relatives.

Conflict-related Abuses (if applicable): This section applies only to countries engaged in armed conflicts and describes reported abuses in such situations. It includes reports of unlawful killings and abuses, including torture, of civilians by members of the armed forces or other state organs or by organized nonstate armed groups within the state engaged in the conflict. Any reports of the unlawful use of child soldiers by either government forces or by other organized armed groups are discussed in this subsection. Also covered are reports of attacks on health-care facilities, workers, or ambulances, as well as schools. For countries conducting military operations in another country or engaging in peacekeeping operations in another country, the reports note any human rights concerns with the subject country’s activity in optional section 1.g. as well as in the report on the country where the operations took place.

Freedom of Expression, Including for Members of the Press and Other Media: Evaluates whether freedom of expression, including for members of the media, is respected and describes any direct or indirect restrictions, including intimidation of journalists and censorship. The subsection Internet Freedom includes discussion of monitoring or restrictions on the exercise of freedom of expression online, including the freedom to seek, receive, or impart information, ideas, and opinions. Another subsection, Academic Freedom and Cultural Events, includes information on restrictions, intimidation, and censorship in these fields.

Freedoms of Peaceful Assembly and Association: Evaluates the ability of individuals, including with others (such as through political parties) to exercise these freedoms. It considers instances of government failure to provide permits or licenses for meetings and demonstrations as well as information on the ability of trade associations, professional bodies, NGOs, and similar groups to register, maintain relations, or affiliate with recognized international bodies in their fields. (Section 7, Worker Rights, discusses the right of workers to associate, organize, and bargain collectively.)

Freedom of Religion: Provides a hyperlink to the Department of State’s International Religious Freedom Report. Information on anti-Semitism also appears in section 6 under a heading by that name.

Freedom of Movement and the Right to Leave the Country: Discusses whether and under what circumstances governments exiled citizens; restricted internal and foreign travel, including for women or members of minority populations; and revoked passports.

Status and Treatment of Internally Displaced Persons (if applicable): This optional section is included if there were large numbers of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in a country. It covers the causes of displacement and number of IDPs, restrictions on their movement, targeting of specific groups, and any failure to provide protection or humanitarian assistance to IDPs. It reports if IDPs suffered significant abuses and whether the government promoted the safe, voluntary, and dignified return, resettlement, or local integration of IDPs.

Protection of Refugees: As defined in the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol, refugees generally are persons outside their country of nationality or, if stateless, outside their country of former habitual residence, who are unable or unwilling to return to that country based on a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group. Under certain regional instruments, such as the Cartagena Declaration on Refugees, the term refugee may also refer to persons who have fled their country because their lives, safety, or freedom have been threatened by, among other things, generalized violence or internal conflict. The Protection of Refugees section covers abuse and discrimination against refugees and asylum seekers. It also reviews the government’s extension of assistance and protection to refugees, including protection against refoulement, the provision of temporary protection, and support for voluntary repatriation, longer-term integration opportunities, and resettlement in another country.

“Protection against refoulement” refers to whether the government refrained from (1) expelling or returning a refugee in any manner whatsoever to the frontiers of territories where their life or freedom would be threatened on account of their race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group, or (2) expelling, returning, or extraditing a person to another State where there are substantial grounds for believing that he or she would be in danger of being subjected to torture.

Stateless Persons (if applicable): This section is included if a country has a significant number of habitual residents who are stateless (not recognized as nationals by any state under the operation of its law). It reviews whether the government has implemented effectively laws and policies to provide such persons the opportunity to gain nationality on a nondiscriminatory basis. The section examines, among other matters, whether there is violence or discrimination against members of resident stateless populations in employment, education, housing, health services, marriage or birth registration, access to courts, or the owning of property.

Freedom to Participate in the Political Process: Discusses whether the law provides citizens the ability to choose their government in free and fair periodic elections based on universal and equal suffrage and whether in practice citizens were able to participate in the conduct of public affairs free of discrimination or unreasonable restriction. The subsections Elections and Political Participation and Participation of Women and Minorities assess whether elections were free and fair, including whether women and minorities had the opportunity to participate on the same basis as men or nonminority citizens.

Corruption and Lack of Transparency in Government: Covers allegations of corruption in the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government and actions taken to combat it.

Governmental Posture Towards International and Nongovernmental Investigation of Alleged Violations of Human Rights: Discusses whether the government permits the free functioning of local human rights groups (including by allowing investigations and the publication of the groups’ findings on alleged human rights abuses), whether these groups are subject to retaliation by government or other forces (including for their participation in international forums), and whether government officials are cooperative and responsive to their views. The section also discusses whether the government grants access to and cooperates with outside entities (including foreign human rights organizations, the United Nations and other international organizations, and foreign governments) interested in human rights developments in the country. It reports on national human rights commissions, parliamentary commissions, and relations with international human rights organizations.

Discrimination and Societal Abuses: Contains sections on Women; Systemic Racial or Ethnic Violence and Discrimination; Children; Anti-Semitism; Trafficking in Persons; Persons with Disabilities; and Acts of Violence, Discrimination, and Other Abuses Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. It also includes optional subsections on Indigenous Peoples, Organ Harvesting, HIV and AIDS Social Stigma, and Other Societal Violence or Discrimination. The Discrimination and Societal Abuses section addresses abuses and discrimination not discussed elsewhere in the report, focusing on violence or threats of violence against such individuals and laws, regulations, and state practices denying or impeding equal access to employment, education, health care, or other governmental benefits for members of specific groups.

Reluctance to report abuse – by women; children; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or intersex persons (LGBTQI+); persons with disabilities, and members of other groups – is, of course, often a factor in the underreporting of abuses. To avoid being repetitive, we do not make this point every time we cover a particular issue, but readers should be aware that it is a significant factor in these kinds of abuses in all countries and cultures. (The Country Reports address allegations of abuses by government or opposition forces, such as killing, torture and other violence, or restriction of voting rights or freedom of expression that discriminate against specific groups, under the appropriate preceding sections.)

Women: Discusses violence against women, such as domestic violence, rape, female genital mutilation/cutting, dowry deaths, and “honor killings.” Information is included on any government tolerance of, and efforts to prevent, such practices, as well as the extent to which women have access to equality of economic opportunity and protection from discrimination and sexual harassment. A restored subsection on Reproductive Rights covers maternal health issues such as maternal mortality, government policy adversely affecting access to contraception, access to skilled health care during pregnancy and childbirth, access to emergency health care, and discrimination against women in accessing sexual and reproductive health care, including for sexually transmitted infections.

Systemic Racial or Ethnic Violence and Discrimination: This is a new section in the 2021 Country Reports. It covers a country’s laws to protect members of racial or ethnic minorities or groups from violence and discrimination and whether the government enforced them effectively. It reports governmental or societal violence or discrimination against members of racial, ethnic, or national minorities and official action to investigate, prosecute, and punish persons complicit in violence and abuses, whether by state or nonstate actors. The section also describes government actions to mitigate factors, such as poverty, unemployment, and societal racial and ethnic biases, that contributed to the problem and if possible, estimates their adequacy and effectiveness.

Children: Discusses acquisition of citizenship, early and forced marriage, and sexual exploitation of children. As applicable, it also addresses access to education and health care and violence or other abuse against children as well as other issues.

Anti-Semitism: Covers reports of anti-Semitic activity and the government’s response. Section 2.c. on Religious Freedom provides a hyperlink to the most recent International Religious Freedom Report, which also contains material on anti-Semitism.

Trafficking in Persons: This section contains a hyperlink to the Department of State’s most recent Trafficking in Persons Report.

Persons with Disabilities: Covers discrimination against persons with physical, mental, or intellectual disabilities in, among other things, employment, education, and the provision of other government services.

Acts of Violence, Criminalization, and Other Abuses Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity: Notes laws and policies criminalizing same-sex activity or conduct, gender identity or expression, and sex characteristics and punishments such as imprisonment or the death penalty. The section also addresses violence by state and nonstate actors targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI+) persons such as corrective rape, forced anal exams, conversion therapy, forced marriage, domestic violence, and unnecessary surgical procedures. The section reports on discrimination by state and nonstate actors against LGBTQI+ persons with respect to housing, employment, parental status, education, health care, and access to government services, including official action to investigate and punish discriminatory acts. The section documents the targeting of LGBTQI+ NGOs and human rights defenders and restrictions on freedoms of peaceful assembly, association, and expression with respect to LGBTQI+ issues. Finally, the section takes note of legislative and other progress towards the full enjoyment of human rights for LGBTQI+ persons.
Appendix B

Reporting on Worker Rights

U.S. law requires annual reporting to Congress on the status of internationally recognized worker rights in countries that were eligible to receive benefits under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP, which expired in December 2020). The law defined internationally recognized worker rights to include: “(A) the right of association; (B) the right to organize and bargain collectively; (C) a prohibition on the use of any form of forced or compulsory labor; (D) a minimum age for the employment of children, and a prohibition on worst forms of child labor; and (E) acceptable conditions of work with respect to minimum wages, hours of work, and occupational safety and health.” 19 U.S.C. § 2464, 2467. In addition to these rights, several U.S. free trade agreements have also included the “elimination of discrimination in respect of employment or occupation” in their definition of internationally recognized worker rights.

The International Labor Organization (ILO), in its 1998 Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, sets forth these principles and rights at work as follows: freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining; the elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labor; the effective abolition of child labor; and the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation.

Each country report includes reporting in the following areas: a) freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining; b) prohibition of forced or compulsory labor; c) prohibition of worst forms of child labor and minimum age for employment; d) prohibition of discrimination with respect to employment and occupation; and e) acceptable conditions of work with respect to minimum wages, hours of work, and occupational safety and health, including in the informal sector. These sections report on both the relevant laws, as well as their enforcement.

The discussion is informed by internationally recognized labor rights and standards, including the Conventions and Recommendations of the ILO and antitrafficking provisions in the UN Organized Crime Convention Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish Trafficking in Persons. Some specific guidelines derived from these are discussed below.

Freedom of Association and the Right to Collective Bargaining:

“Freedom of association” includes the right of workers and employers to establish and join organizations of their own choosing without previous authorization; to draw up their own constitutions and rules, to elect their representatives, and to formulate their programs; to join in confederations and affiliate with international organizations; and to be protected against dissolution or suspension by administrative authority.

“The right to organize and bargain collectively” includes the right of workers to be represented in negotiating terms and conditions of employment and the prevention and settlement of disputes with employers, the right to protection against interference by the government or employers, and the right to protection against acts of antiunion discrimination. Governments should promote mechanisms for voluntary negotiations between employers and workers and their organizations. Coverage of the right to organize and bargain collectively includes a review of the extent to which collective bargaining takes place and the extent to which workers, both in law and practice, are protected against antiunion discrimination.

The section of each report on freedom of association also covers the right to strike. While it is generally accepted for strikes to be restricted in the public sector and in essential services, the interruption of which would endanger the life, personal safety, or health of a significant portion of the population, these restrictions need to be offset by adequate safeguards for the interests of the workers concerned (for example, mechanisms for mediation and arbitration, due process, and the right to judicial review of legal actions). Reporting on restrictions on the ability of workers to strike generally includes information on any procedures that may exist for safeguarding workers’ interests or procedures that may limit or inhibit this right.

Forced Labor:

“Forced or compulsory labor” is defined as work or service exacted under the menace of penalty and for which a person has not volunteered. This definition does not include “work or service” where obligations to work or serve are imposed to receive education or training. “Menace of penalty” includes loss of rights or privileges as well as penal sanctions. The ILO exempts compulsory military service, normal civic obligations, emergencies, and minor communal services from its definition of forced labor. The ILO has also exempted certain forms of prison labor, but only to the extent that such labor is exacted because of a conviction in a court of law and carried out under the supervision and control of a public authority, and provided that the prisoner is not hired out to or placed at the disposal of private entities. The ILO further notes that constitutional provisions concerning the obligation of citizens to work do not violate this right so long as they do not take the form of legal obligations enforced by sanctions and are consistent with the principle of “freely chosen employment.”

U.S. law defines forced labor as knowingly providing or obtaining the labor or services of a person by force or threats of force, serious harm or threats of serious harm to that person or another person, abuse or threatened abuse of law or legal process, or any scheme, plan, or pattern intended to cause the person to believe that, if that person did not perform such labor or services, that person or another person would suffer serious harm or physical restraint. The UN Trafficking Protocol also addresses forced labor, by requiring state parties to criminalize the recruitment, transport, transfer, receipt, or harboring of a person for the purpose of forced labor or services extracted through coercive or fraudulent means.

Child Labor:

“A minimum age for employment” is related to the effective abolition of child labor because it requires a minimum age for employment that is consistent with the fullest physical and mental development of young people. The “prohibition on the worst forms of child labor” looks to ILO Convention 182, which defines anyone younger than age of 18 as a child and specifies certain types of employment as “the worst forms of child labor.” These worst forms of labor include slavery, debt bondage, forced labor, forced recruitment into armed conflict, child prostitution and pornography, involvement in illicit activity such as drug production or trafficking, and work that, “by its nature or the circumstances in which it is carried out, is likely to harm the health, safety or morals of children.”

Discrimination with Respect to Employment and Occupation:

“Discrimination with respect to employment and occupation” may be direct or indirect. Direct discrimination exists when laws, rules, or practices explicitly cite a particular ground based on race, religion, national origin, color, sex (including pregnancy), ethnicity, disability, age, sexual orientation and/or gender identity, HIV or AIDS status, or refugee or stateless status to deny equal opportunities for employment or vocational training, as well as any other ground for distinction determined to impair equal opportunity. The ILO has noted that indirect discrimination occurs where rules or practices appear neutral but in practice lead to unwarranted exclusions. For example, requiring applicants to be a certain height could disproportionately exclude women and members of some ethnic groups. Unless the specified height is necessary to perform the job, this could illustrate indirect discrimination.

U.S. law prohibits discrimination in respect to employment based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, genetic information, or age. Many states and municipalities also have enacted protections against discrimination and harassment based on sexual orientation, status as a parent, marital status, and political affiliation.

Acceptable Conditions of Work:

“Acceptable conditions of work” refers to the establishment and maintenance of appropriate mechanisms, adapted to national conditions, that provide for minimum working standards, namely: wages that provide a decent living for workers and their families; working hours that do not exceed 48 hours per week, with a full 24-hour day of rest and provisions for overtime pay; a specified number of annual paid leave days; and minimum conditions for the protection of the safety and health of workers. National laws should specify whether workers in the informal sector are covered, and whether any other group of workers or sectors of the economy are excluded or face additional challenges.
Appendix C

Additional Resources

See below for resources on issues noted in the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. Reference does not indicate endorsement by the U.S. Department of State.

SECTION 6: DISCRIMINATION, SOCIETAL ABUSES, AND TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS

WOMEN

UN Interagency on Women and Gender Equality: http://www.un.org/womenwatch/
UN Population Fund: https://www.unfpa.org/data/world-population-dashboard ;
http://www.unfpa.org/gender/index.htm and www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/resource-pdf/Preventing_gender-biased_sex_selection.pdf
Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues, U. S. Department of State: https://www.state.gov/bureaus-offices/bureaus-and-offices-reporting-directly-to-the-secretary/office-of-global-womens-issues
UNICEF: http://www.childinfo.org/fgmc_progress.html and https://data.unicef.org/topic/child-protection/female-genital-mutilation-and-cutting/
Population Reference Bureau: http://www.prb.org
World Health Organization http://apps.who.int/gho/data/node.main.530?lang=en http://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/topics/fgm/overview/en/index.html and http://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/publications/monitoring/maternal-mortality-2015/en/
UN Population Division 2018 World Contraceptive Use: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/dataset/contraception/wcu2018.shtml Demographic and Health Survey: dhsprogram.com/Where-We-Work/
Population Council: https://www.popcouncil.org/uploads/pdfs/SOTA_Synthesis_2016_FINAL.pdf
CIA: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/

CHILDREN

UNICEF: http://www.unicef.org/ , http://www.unicef.org/sowc04/ and http://mics.unicef.org/
World Health Organization: https://www.who.int/maternal_child_adolescent/child/en/
UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict: https://childrenandarmedconflict.un.org/
WATCHLIST ON CHILDREN AND ARMED CONFLICT: http://www.watchlist.org/
2015-16 Demographic and Health Survey: dhsprogram.com/Where-We-Work/

ANTI-SEMITISM

Office of The Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism: https://www.state.gov/bureaus-offices/under-secretary-for-civilian-security-democracy-and-human-rights/office-of-the-special-envoy-to-monitor-and-combat-anti-semitism/

TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS

Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, State Department: http://www.state.gov/trafficking-in-persons-report

PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

Disabled Peoples’ International: http://www.dpi.org/
Disability Rights Promotion International: http://www.yorku.ca/drpi/
Administration and Cost of Elections Project: http://www.aceproject.org/
IFES – Democracy at Large: http://www.ifes.org
Ideanet International Disability Rights Monitor: http://idrmnet.org/
Disability Rights International: http://disabilityrightsintl.org
Mobility International USA: http://www.miusa.org
National Human Rights Institutions Forum: http://www.nhri.net/
United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/CRPD/Pages/CRPDIndex.aspx
United Nations Enable: http://www.un.org/disabilities/index.asp

NATIONAL/RACIAL/ETHNIC MINORITIES

European Roma Human Rights Center: http://www.errc.org/

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES

UN Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights’ section on Indigenous Rights: https://www.ohchr.org/en/issues/ipeoples/Pages/IndigenousPeoplesIndex.aspx

ACTS OF VIOLENCE, CRIMINALIZATION, AND OTHER ABUSES BASED ON SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND GENDER IDENTITY

Amnesty International: https://www.amnestyusa.org/issues/gender-sexuality-identity/
Council for Global Equality: www.GlobalEquality.org
Global Rights: http://www.globalrights.org/
Human Rights First: www.humanrightsfirst.org/discrimination/pages.aspx?id=157
Human Rights Watch: www.hrw.org/en/category/topic/lgbt-rights
International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission: www.IGLHRC.org
OutRight Action International: https://outrightinternational.org/
International Lesbian and Gay Association – Europe (ILGA-EUROPE): www.ilga-europe.org
Mulabi (covering Latin America): http://www.mulabilatino.org/

HIV AND AIDS SOCIAL STIGMA

UNAIDS: http://www.unaids.org/en/regionscountries/countries
Stigma Index: http://www.stigmaindex.org/

SCHOLARS AT RISK 2018 REPORT

https://www.scholarsatrisk.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Scholars-at-Risk-Free-to-Think-2019.pdf
Appendix D

FY 2020 Foreign Assistance Actuals
Appendix E

UN General Assembly Third Committee Votes 2020
Appendix F

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Preamble

Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,

Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people,

Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law,

Whereas it is essential to promote the development of friendly relations between nations,

Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,

Whereas Member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in cooperation with the United Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms,

Whereas a common understanding of these rights and freedoms is of the greatest importance for the full realization of this pledge,

Now, therefore,

The General Assembly proclaims this Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction.

Article 1

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Article 2

Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.

Article 3

Everyone has the right to life, liberty and the security of person.

Article 4

No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.

Article 5

No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Article 6

Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.

Article 7

All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.

Article 8

Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.

Article 9

No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.

Article 10

Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.

Article 11

Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence.

No one shall be held guilty of any penal offence on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a penal offence, under national or international law, at the time when it was committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the penal offence was committed.

Article 12

No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honor and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.

Article 13

Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.

Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.

Article 14

Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.

This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.

Article 15

Everyone has the right to a nationality.

No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor be denied the right to change his nationality.

Article 16

Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.

Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.

The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.

Article 17

Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others.

No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.

Article 18

Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

Article 19

Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

Article 20

Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.

No one may be compelled to belong to an association.

Article 21

Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.

Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country.

The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.

Article 22

Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international cooperation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality.

Article 23

Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.

Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.

Everyone who works has the right to just and favorable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.

Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.

Article 24

Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.

Article 25

Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.

Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.

Article 26

Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.

Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.

Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.

Article 27

Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.

Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author.

Article 28

Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized.

Article 29

Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible.

In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society.

These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.

Article 30

Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein.

________________________________________

Hundred and eighty-third plenary meeting
Resolution 217(A)(III) of the United Nations General Assembly,
December 10, 1948
Appendix G

Errata

Oman
Changed name of Sultan in executive summary first paragraph from incorrect lower case Sultan Haitham bin Tarik al-Said to correct upper case of Sultan Haitham bin Tarik Al Said.

Correction also made in the executive summary second paragraph to the name of the Sultan’s brother. From incorrect Shihab bin Tariq al-Said to correct Shihab bin Tariq Al Said.

Singapore
In Section 6 of the LGBTQI+ subsection: Changed “Heckin Uniform” to “Heckin Unicorn.”

Burkina Faso
In Section 3, fifth paragraph: The words “a constitutional” changed to “an anti-constitutional.”

Uruguay
Section 7, Workers Rights, paragraph 4 of subsection D (Discrimination with Respect to Employment and Occupation): “Only 30 percent of the transgender population was employed […]” was changed to “Only 66 percent of the transgender population was employed […]”

Venezuela
Section 6, subsection Rape and Domestic violence: Incorrect “Majuro regime” corrected to “Maduro regime.”

Subsection 6, subsection Indigenous Peoples: Incorrect “FARC dissidents” corrected to “indigenous individuals.”

Section 7, subsection a: Correction of name spelling of Ada Macaure to Ada Macuare.

Section 7, subsection d: Correction of company name of Siderurgica del Orinoco to Siderurgica del Orinoco Alfredo Maneiro.

Syria
Section 1, subsection F, Asylum Access: Changed “protection areas” to “protection space.”
Appendix H

Overview and Acknowledgements

Country Report Preparation

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 consider countries’ human rights and worker rights performance and that country reports be submitted to the Congress on an annual basis.

This report includes documents 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 2021 only.

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 by U.S. missions abroad, the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL), in cooperation with other Department of State offices with the relevant country and regional expertise, reviewed and edited the reports, drawing on its own sources of information as well as of the Department of Labor. Bureau officers also consulted experts in the Department of State and elsewhere on worker rights, refugee issues, police and security issues, women’s issues, and legal matters, among many others. The guiding principles were that all information be reported objectively, thoroughly, and fairly. DRL, working with other Department offices as necessary, also ensured that all reports followed the same methodology and conformed to standard format and structure.

The DRL Editorial Team

Coordinator of Human Rights Reports/Editor in Chief: Stephen Eisenbraun

Deputy Coordinator of Human Rights Reports/Assistant Editor in Chief: Jonathan Bemis

Deputy Coordinator of Human Rights Reports/Assistant Editor in Chief: Jock Whittlesey

Senior Editors: Wendell Albright, Jonathan Bemis, Jillian Burns, Ken Chern, Doug Kramer, Stephen Eisenbraun, Jerome L. Hoganson, Victor J. Huser, David Morris, Dan Vernon, Joseph Dean Yap

Editors: Muzna Abbas, Paula Albertson, Wendell Albright, Asim Ali, Kerry Ashforth, John Barone, Jonathan Bemis, Taylor Brown, Lidice Calafell, Alexandra Cantone, Dana Castagna, Phil Chamberlain, Ken Chern, Jennifer Chisholm, Ann Cody, Mauricio Cortes, Robin Cromer, Stephen Dreyer, Mort Dworken, Sara Epstein, Janie Esteva, Gabriella Fernandes, Alyson Finley, Noemí E. Galeano, Sheridan Gardner, Karen Gilbride, Sarah Givens, Christopher Groth, Charles Gurney, Maureen Haggard, Ian Harrison, Matt Hickey, Meghan Higgins, Sherri Holliday-Sklar, Abigail Horgan, Maïté Hostetter, Jessica Huber, Chuck Hunter, Victor Huser, Richard Kaminski, Stephen Kaufman, Orly Keiner, Charles Kellett, Grace Kern, Esther Kim, Douglas Kramer, Kevin Lewis, Elena Lund, Lynne Madnick, Vidya Mani, Hannah Meropol, Kathryn Linn, Jose Mercado, Stephen Moody, Greta Morris, Anna Pascual-Lanning, Steven Pierce, Ereni Roess, Hilary Rosenthal, Sofia Ruiz, Chris Russell, Stephanie Sandbeck, James Sayre, Stephanie Schmid, Daniel Schneider, Hannah Scholze, Harrison Schreiber, Samantha Schwartz, Thomas Selinger, Corena Sharp, Adam Sheffler, Lisa Sherman, Wendy Silverman, Kristen Smart, Greg Staff, Jennifer Stein, Jessica Stern, Brandon Strassberg, Zackary Suhr, Sarah Swatzburg, Leslie Taylor, Rachel Thomas, Dennis Dean Tidwell, Dania Torres, Ambar Valles, Brooke Van Slyke, C. Eduardo Vargas Toro, Gareth Vaughan, Dan Vernon, David G. Wagner, Rachel Waldstein, Micah Watson, Alexander Werman, Thomas Whitney, Jock Whittlesey, Joseph Dean Yap

Regional Bureau Coordinators: Amanda Boggs, Christina Chabali, Melissa Dymek, Kathleen Gibilisco, Karen Mims, Joycelyn Narayan, Sarah Pierson, Daniel Thompson, Morgan Todd, Tamara Wilson, Travis Zirker

Senior Technical Editor: Janine Czarnecki

Technical Editors: Jessica Adams, Molly Neel, Benjamin Stevenson

Technical Coordinator: Geoffrey Palcher

Rollout Preparation: Jessica Adams, Trina Bolton, Ryan Burris, Karlygash Faillace, Caitlin Hawes, Tiffany Koebel, Molly Neel, Lauren Pagan, Ginnie Seger, Benjamin Stevenson.