The Amnesty International Report

In Amnesty International's annual report, it was revealed that eight-one countries continue to torture people, the citizenry of fifty-four countries receive unfair trials, and seventy-seven countries deny free speech. In particular, the report strongly criticized the US and China for their flagrant violation of basic human rights. Amnesty International assesses human rights in countries around the world.

According to the report, the US has failed to provide a moral compass to the international community, a charge the organization makes every year. As the world's only superpower, the US should set the standard for which governments of other countries strive. Yet in recent years, the US has shirked this obligation, and has even purposefully defied international law in many cases. The detention center at Guantanamo Bay was criticized, for example, as was the use of torture.

China has clearly become an important global power, and so it must act responsibly in the sphere of human rights. The country has continued to ship arms to the Sudan, despite the atrocities committed there. In addition, China trades with such abusive governments as Myanmar and Zimbabwe, censors the media, persecutes activists, and has expanded its "re-education through labor" program. The program allows the Chinese government to arrest people and enforce on them terms of manual labor without trial.

On the positive side, though, there were a greater number of demonstrations than in past years. Amnesty International took this as a sign that people were more willing to fight for their inherent rights and hold leaders accountable.