The 2011 reportof theUnited StatesState Departmenton human rightsaround the worlddevotedmajorchaptersto Iran,Syria, China,North Korea,Uzbekistanand Turkmenistan. The report statedthatthesearethe countries wherehumanrights violations arethe most serious. At Thursday's news conference to introduce the report, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said, "in some places like Syria, it is not just an assault on freedom of expression or freedom of association, but an assault on the very lives of citizens. The Assad regime’s brutality against its own people must and will end, because Syrians know they deserve a better future."
Regarding Iran, Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Right, and Labor, Mike Posner said, "Sadly, 2011 was a continuation of many negative trends: intolerance of dissent, particularly a crackdown on demonstrators in February; free speech restricted; internet freedom restricted; political participation severely circumscribed; unfair trials, amputations, floggings; lots of death penalty, including some this year, many held in secret. So it’s a very grim picture."
The authorsalsocriticizeIsrael anditsslow treatmentto clarify the status of refugees and its failure to give work permits to those legally in the country. The report does not use the word "infiltrators" but criticizes anti-infiltrator rhetoric, citing senior Israeli officials, including Interior Minister Eli Yishai.