2006 Press Releases

U.S. State Department Releases Annual Human Rights Report

Bratislava, March 8, 2006

The annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices will be released today (March 8) in Washington, DC. The country reports, including the one for the Slovak Republic, will be available on the U.S. State Department website, http://www.state.gov, after the end of the Washington press conference, which is scheduled to begin at 5:00 p.m. Bratislava time.

The worldwide Human Rights Report is mandated by the U.S. Congress. The report for 2005 examines the status of human rights in 196 countries. The individual reports detail each country's commitment to protecting and promoting the rights listed in the 1948 United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights, including civil and political rights, such as freedom of speech, religion and the press, the freedom to choose one's own government and worker's rights. The report also includes sections on forced disappearances, imprisonment and torture and discrimination based on race, sex, disability, language and social status.

Additional background information on the Human Rights Report can be found on the following website: http://usinfo.state.gov/dhr/human_rights.html