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U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) issued the following statement regarding the U.S. State Department’s annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices:

• “The U.S. State Department’s annual human rights report is a crucial instrument in exposing human rights violations around the world. This year’s report stressed the cruelty of various regimes and the severe oppression experienced by their people.

• “In the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, we must remain firm in our support for Israel’s right to self-defense. The terrorist attack that took place on October 7, 2023 resulted in torture, sexual violence, tragic death of more than 1,200 civilians, and American abductions at the hands of Hamas. It is in America’s national interest to support Israel and ensure Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists are defeated.

• “The instability seen across the Western Hemisphere in countries such as Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti, and Venezuela poses serious threats to our region and our national security. This past year, we saw the disqualification of the leading opposition candidate in Venezuela, María Corina Machado, and several members of her campaign team arbitrarily arrested. The Maduro narco-regime has also censored the independent media and press and continues to torture innocents at El Helicoide. In Cuba and Nicaragua, we saw many religious and political dissidents censured, detained, or forced into exile. As a nation that defends freedom and justice, we must remain steadfast in the defense of human rights in our region.

• “The ongoing war in Ukraine caused by Vladimir Putin’s vicious attack has led to the death of more than 10,000 innocent civilians. Putin’s disregard for human rights has been on full display in the war. Ukrainian civilians, including children, have suffered severe brutalities at the hands of Russian forces. We have also seen the cruelty of Putin’s bloodthirsty regime in the death of anti-corruption activist Alexei Navalny and the imprisonment of Vladimir Kara-Murza and Evan Gershkovich.

• “The Chinese Communist Party is supporting the war in Ukraine. Under Xi Jinping, we have seen the People’s Republic of China carry out violent acts of genocide, including mass internment, forced sterilization, and slave labor, against the Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minorities. The United States must strictly enforce my Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act to ensure our nation prevents any complicity in these atrocities.

• “Many of the nations mentioned in this report also pose serious national security threats to our nation and our allies. The United States must remain diligent in condemning brutal acts of violence around the globe and stand firm in our commitment to human rights and freedom.” 

Want more information?

• May 2022: Rubio, Merkley Lead Colleagues in Urging Release of UN Human Rights Report on Uyghur Genocide Ahead of UN Official’s Visit to Xinjiang
• April 2022: Rubio Statement on 2021 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices
• August 2022: Rubio Calls on UN to Reject CCP Pressure and Release Xinjiang Human Rights Report
• March 2019: Rubio Comments on the State Department’s 2018 Human Rights Report