US slams rights abuses in China, N Korea, Iran

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WASHINGTON, Mar 13 (AFP): The United States (US) has issued a new report saying China and Iran's rights records had worsened, and raising alarm about growing anti-Semitism worldwide and discrimination against Muslims in Europe.
In its annual report on human rights for 194 countries released Thursday, the State Department also denounced North Korea's "deplorable" record, "egregious" abuses in Myanmar as well as "numerous and serious" violations in Cuba.
Chinese authorities pressed on with the repression of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang, the western region where China's Han majority engaged last year in deadly clashes with local Uighurs.
It said "the detention and harassment of human rights activists increased, and public interest lawyers and law firms that took on cases deemed sensitive by the government faced harassment, disbarment and closure."
China also imposed "tight government controls" on Tibetans, who faced restrictions on practicing their religion and severe repercussions if they tried to escape to Nepal, the State Department said Thursday.