AP News, March 7th, 2007
Corruption, detainee abuse and deplorable prison conditions were a problem throughout much of Latin America last year, the U.S. State Department said Tuesday, singling out Venezuela and Cuba for having the worst human rights records in the region.
The U.S. government's annual survey of human rights practices was released just days before President Bush begins a five-nation tour to a region that has grown skeptical of Washington's own commitment to human rights, after allegations of abuse of U.S. prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
The report said that as of the end of 2006, there were at least 283 political prisoners or detainees in Cuba and 13 in Venezuela. It also condemned those countries _ along with Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador and others _ for harsh jail conditions often caused by inadequate funding and corruption.
Barry F. Lowenkron, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for human rights, said the situation in Venezuela is worsening under President Hugo Chavez's government, which he characterized as "regressive."
The document said Venezuela had seen disappearances reportedly involving corrupt security forces, torture and abuse of detainees, as well as arbitrary arrests and detentions. Crimes often went unpunished by a "highly inefficient, sometimes corrupt" judiciary.
It also accused Chavez's government of harassing its opponents and "engendering a repressive attitude toward a free press."
Lowenkron said the U.S. government had seen no noticeable improvement in human rights in Cuba during the eight months since ailing President Fidel Castro handed power over to his brother Raul.
The report said thousands of Cubans were serving sentences for "dangerousness" in the absence of any criminal activity. It cited reports of abusive, sometimes life-threatening prison conditions, including denial of medical care.
The report praised the Colombian and Mexican governments for their efforts to better protect human rights, but said the countries suffer from corruption.
There was no immediate response from any of the governments Tuesday.
Chavez in the past has frequently denounced U.S. criticisms and said American treatment of detainees at Guantanamo and its history of backing authoritarian regimes in Latin America put it in no position to preach human rights.
Bush is scheduled to arrive in Brazil on March 8 to start a Latin American tour that will also take him to Uruguay, Colombia, Guatemala and Mexico.
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Associated Press Writer Nestor Ikeda in Washington, Gonzalo Solano in Quito, Ecuador, and Sergio de Leon in Bogota, Colombia, contributed to this report.
