This year, the US State Department considered Israel to be the worst violator of human rights. The report of the American foreign policy agency repeatedly criticizes the actions of the Israeli government towards non-Jews, and also states that Israel has repeatedly resorted to unjustified and excessive use of force against Palestinians.
To Beijing, the State Department made the now traditional accusations of violating religious freedoms, persecuting dissidents, pressuring the press, violating prisoners' rights, and pursuing an overly harsh population control policy.
Accusations against Russia are also familiar. The leitmotif of the report was the assertion that "Russian law enforcement agencies operating in Chechnya show little respect for fundamental freedoms and human rights." The indiscriminate use of force by Russian government troops has led, according to the report, to widespread casualties among peaceful Chechens and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of members of Chechnya's indigenous population.
The authors of the report particularly emphasize, citing "reliable sources," that recently in Chechnya there have been "extrajudicial killings" as well as the use of military force in densely populated areas. The report further asserts that "federal troops have repeatedly resorted to beatings, rape, torture, and murder of numerous detainees," in connection with which the State Department recommends that Russian authorities comply with the resolution of the UN Commission on Human Rights and allow UN observers into Chechnya.
Human rights activists from Amnesty International also voiced their complaints against Russia. In their report, Russia was among the countries that contribute to the spread of torture. According to Amnesty International, Russia, China, France, Germany, Britain, Poland, Israel, South Africa, Brazil, Mexico, South Korea, and Taiwan have increased exports of torture equipment several dozen times in recent years.
This concerns, in particular, stun batons, shackles, handcuffs, and special restraint belts for prisoners. Incidentally, one of the exporters of stun batons is the United States, where the use of this weapon is prohibited. American stun batons are purchased by Russia, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Israel, and Egypt.
A separate part of the report is devoted to the use of mines and measures to stop their production and use.