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# 					2018 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices			

Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor

								The annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices – the Human Rights Reports – cover internationally recognized individual, civil, political, and worker rights, as set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international agreements. The U.S. Department of State submits reports on all countries receiving assistance and all United Nations member states to the U.S. Congress in accordance with the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Trade Act of 1974.							

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													Preface											

                -  Preface   
                -  Overview                    -  WHY THE REPORTS ARE PREPARED 
                  -  HOW THE REPORTS ARE PREPARED 
                -  Country Reports                    -  Africa (Sub-Saharan) 
                  -  East Asia and Pacific 
                  -  Europe and Eurasia 
                  -  Near East (Middle East and North Africa) 
                  -  South and Central Asia 
                  -  Western Hemisphere 
                -  Appendix A: Notes on Preparation of the Country Reports and Explanatory Material 
                -  Appendix B: Reporting on Worker Rights 
                -  Appendix C: Additional Resources 
                -  Appendix D: FY 2018 Foreign Assistance Actuals 
                -  Appendix E: UN General Assembly's Third Committee Country Resolution Votes 2018 
                -  Appendix F: United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights 
                -  Appendix G: Errata 

							Preface					

The United States was founded on the premise that all persons “are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” Our Constitution secures these unalienable rights by proclaiming in the First Amendment that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” The Fifth Amendment also sets out that no person shall “be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.” These same concepts were adopted internationally in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, particularly in Articles 3, 10, 12, 18, 19, and 20.

The founders of the United States and the delegates to the UN Commission on Human Rights recognized that these fundamental freedoms of religion or belief, expression, peaceful assembly and association belong to every human being. These freedoms are not granted by governments but are derived from the inherent dignity of the human person. Nor may they be unduly restricted by governments even to further some economic, social, or cultural purpose. They are unalienable. Governments are charged with ensuring that the government itself does not wrongfully interfere with human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Those sovereign states with which we have the closest, most long-standing, and productive collaboration are those where the government generally respects human rights, including the freedoms of religion or belief, expression, peaceful assembly, and association and do not engage in gross violations of human rights such as extrajudicial killing, torture, and extended arbitrary detention. Conversely, the states that threaten regional stability, are state sponsors of terrorism, or become inviting targets for terrorist recruitment almost invariably are states with governments that fail to respect the unalienable rights of those within their borders.

The policy of this Administration is to engage with other governments, regardless of their record, if doing so will further U.S. interests. At the same time, we recognize that U.S. interests in the enduring stability, prosperity, and security of a world filled with strong, sovereign states will only be served if governments respect human rights and fundamental freedoms. To that end, individuals seeking reforms to end the wrongful interference in the exercise of unalienable rights – whether those individuals are in or out of government – will find a sympathetic friend and strong supporter in the United States of America.

These 43rd annual Country Reports on Human Rights are one contribution to that process.

*Michael R. Pompeo*

*Secretary of State*

							Overview					

### WHY THE REPORTS ARE PREPARED

This report is submitted to the Congress by the Department of State pursuant to Sections 116(d) and 502B(b) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961. 19 U.S.C. § 2464, 2467 also require that U.S. foreign and trade policy take into account countries’ human rights and worker rights performance and that country reports be submitted to the Congress on an annual basis.

This report includes documents on several countries that do not fall into the categories established by these statutes and thus are not covered by the congressional requirement.

The report addresses situations and events in calendar year 2018 only.

### HOW THE REPORTS ARE PREPARED

The Department of State prepared this report using information from U.S. embassies and consulates abroad, foreign government officials, nongovernmental and international organizations, jurists and legal experts, journalists, academics, labor activists, and published reports. U.S. diplomatic missions abroad prepared the initial drafts of the individual country reports.

Once the initial drafts of the individual country reports were completed by U.S. missions abroad, the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL), in cooperation with other Department of State offices with the relevant country and regional expertise, reviewed and edited the reports, drawing on its own sources of information and the Department of Labor. Bureau officers also consulted experts in the Department of State and elsewhere on worker rights, refugee issues, police and security issues, women’s issues, and legal matters, among many others. The guiding principles were that all information be reported objectively, thoroughly, and fairly. DRL, working with other Department offices as necessary, also ensured that all reports followed the same methodology and conformed to standard format and structure.

DRL uses hyperlinks to other key human rights documents produced by the Department of State and the Department of Labor. Specifically, readers are asked to follow hyperlinks for complete information on religious freedom issues by consulting the *International Religious Freedom Report;* on human trafficking by consulting the *Trafficking in Persons Report;* on child abductions by consulting the *Annual Report on International Parental Child Abduction;* and on child labor by consulting the Department of Labor’s *Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor.*

							Country Reports					

### Africa (Sub-Saharan)

### East Asia and Pacific

### Europe and Eurasia

### Near East (Middle East and North Africa)

### South and Central Asia

### Western Hemisphere

-  							Appendix A														Appendix A: Notes on Preparation of the Country Reports and Explanatory Material						  Notes on Preparation of the Country Reports and Explanatory Material
Acts of Congress mandate the annual submission of the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. The Country Reports on Human Rights Practices cover internationally recognized civil and political rights, including those set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well as worker rights. These include the rights not to be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment; to prolonged detention without charges; to disappearance or clandestine detention; and to other violations of the right to life, liberty, and the security of person.

All individuals have the right to certain freedoms, such as freedoms of expression, association, peaceful assembly, and religion; the reports document how governments respect these freedoms. The reports cover key worker rights issues, including the right to freedom of association; the right to bargain collectively; the prohibition of forced or compulsory labor; the status of child labor practices and the minimum age for employment of children; discrimination with respect to employment; and acceptable work conditions.

The Country Reports on Human Rights Practices are prepared by reviewing information available from a wide variety of sources, including U.S. and foreign government officials; victims of alleged human rights abuses; academic and congressional studies; and reports from the press, international organizations, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) concerned with human rights.

The Country Reports cover respect for human rights in foreign countries and territories worldwide. They do not assess the human rights implications of actions taken by the U.S. Government or its representatives.

The Department strives to make the reports objective, and uniform. We ask the same questions for each of the countries and territories covered. The reports select a few illustrative examples of alleged abuses and follow up in most instances only on the previous year’s high-profile unresolved cases. In recent years, the Department ceased reporting on many issues where no abuse of rights was alleged. This change allowed the reports to increase the focus on reported abuses and cut routine descriptive detail.

Additionally, the Department’s annual instructions also made changes to sharpen the focus on reports of violations and abuses of internationally recognized human rights and each government’s actions in regard to such violations and abuses.

For example, the Executive Summary of each report is sharply focused on reports of the most egregious types of violations and abuses of internationally recognized human rights, if applicable to the country concerned. These include reports of extrajudicial killing, torture, harsh and life threatening prison conditions, and egregious interference in freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly, association, and religion or belief, as well as bias-motivated crimes of violence. The Executive Summary does not include many other issues that are common to all or most countries, such as overcrowding in prisons and societal discrimination, but these matters continue to be covered in the body of the reports.

While we continue to report on societal conditions, including discrimination, that can affect the enjoyment of internationally recognized human rights, we have reduced the amount of statistical data in each of these subsections of the report illustrating those conditions. In the age of the internet, the underlying data is readily available, and we have provided links to relevant sources rather than repeat the data in the text of the reports. Such data is consolidated in an Appendix C.

Many governments that profess to respect human rights in principle may in fact secretly order or tacitly condone violations or abuses. Consequently, the reports look beyond statements of policy or intent to examine what a government actually did to respect human rights and promote accountability, including the extent to which it investigated, brought to trial, or punished those responsible for any violations or abuses. It is also the case that many abuses–such as societal discrimination and domestic abuses–are grossly underreported. To that end, we seek to characterize the scope of the problem without assigning precise numbers.

The Reports describe facts relevant to human rights concerns. Notwithstanding terms that may be used in the Reports, the Reports do not state or reach conclusions about the application of domestic or international law to those facts.

Occasionally the Reports state that a country “generally respected” the rights of individuals. This is the highest level of respect for human rights described by these reports.

Because the Secretary of State designates foreign groups or organizations as foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs) on the FTO list, the reports describe as “terrorists” only those groups on the current Department of State FTO list.
							Appendix B														Appendix B: Reporting on Worker Rights						
REPORTING ON WORKER RIGHTS
U.S. law requires annual reporting to Congress on the status of internationally recognized worker rights in countries that are eligible to receive benefits under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP). The law defines internationally recognized worker rights to include: “(A) the right of association; (B) the right to organize and bargain collectively; (C) a prohibition on the use of any form of forced or compulsory labor; (D) a minimum age for the employment of children, and a prohibition on worst forms of child labor; and (E) acceptable conditions of work with respect to minimum wages, hours of work, and occupational safety and health.” 19 U.S.C. § 2464, 2467. In addition to these rights, several U.S. free trade agreements have also included the “elimination of discrimination in respect of employment or occupation” in their definition of internationally recognized worker rights.

The International Labor Organization (ILO), in its *1998 Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work*, sets forth these principles and rights at work as follows: freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining; the elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labor; the effective abolition of child labor; and the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation.

Worker rights are discussed in each country report under the section heading “Worker Rights” in five subsections: freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining; prohibition of forced or compulsory labor; prohibition of worst forms of child labor and minimum age for employment; prohibition of discrimination with respect to employment and occupation; and acceptable conditions of work. Enforcement of the law is key to effective implementation.

The discussion of worker rights considers not only laws, statutes, and regulations but also their practical application. The discussion is informed by internationally recognized labor rights and standards, including the Conventions and Recommendations of the ILO, and antitrafficking provisions in the UN Organized Crime Convention Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish Trafficking in Persons. Some specific guidelines derived from these are discussed below.
Freedom of Association and the Right to Collective Bargaining:
“Freedom of association” includes the right of workers and employers to establish and join organizations of their own choosing without previous authorization; to draw up their own constitutions and rules, to elect their representatives, and to formulate their programs; to join in confederations and affiliate with international organizations; and to be protected against dissolution or suspension by administrative authority.

“The right to organize and bargain collectively” includes the right of workers to be represented in negotiating terms and conditions of employment and the prevention and settlement of disputes with employers, the right to protection against interference by the government or employers, and the right to protection against acts of antiunion discrimination. Governments should promote mechanisms for voluntary negotiations between employers and workers and their organizations. Coverage of the right to organize and bargain collectively includes a review of the extent to which collective bargaining takes place and the extent to which workers, both in law and practice, are protected against antiunion discrimination.

The section of each report on freedom of association also covers the right to strike. While it is generally accepted for strikes to be restricted in the public sector and in essential services, the interruption of which would endanger the life, personal safety, or health of a significant portion of the population, these restrictions need to be offset by adequate safeguards for the interests of the workers concerned (for example, mechanisms for mediation and arbitration, due process, and the right to judicial review of legal actions). Reporting on restrictions on the ability of workers to strike generally includes information on any procedures that may exist for safeguarding workers’ interests.
Forced Labor:
“Forced or compulsory labor” is defined as work or service exacted under the menace of penalty and for which a person has not volunteered. This definition does not include “work or service” where obligations to work or serve are imposed in order to receive education or training. “Menace of penalty” includes loss of rights or privileges as well as penal sanctions. The ILO exempts compulsory military service, normal civic obligations, emergencies, and minor communal services from its definition of forced labor. The ILO has also exempted certain forms of prison labor, but only to the extent that such labor is exacted as a consequence of a conviction in a court of law and carried out under the supervision and control of a public authority, and provided that the prisoner is not hired out to or placed at the disposal of private entities. The ILO further notes that constitutional provisions concerning the obligation of citizens to work do not violate this right so long as they do not take the form of legal obligations enforced by sanctions and are consistent with the principle of “freely chosen employment.”

U.S. law defines forced labor as knowingly providing or obtaining the labor or services of a person by force or threats of force, serious harm or threats of serious harm to that person or another person, abuse or threatened abuse of law or legal process, or any scheme, plan, or pattern intended to cause the person to believe that, if that person did not perform such labor or services, that person or another person would suffer serious harm or physical restraint. The UN Trafficking Protocol also addresses forced labor, by requiring state parties to criminalize the recruitment, transport, transfer, receipt, or harboring of a person for the purpose of forced labor or services extracted through coercive or fraudulent means.
Child Labor:
“A minimum age for employment” is related to the effective abolition of child labor because it requires a minimum age for employment that is consistent with the fullest physical and mental development of young people. The “prohibition on the worst forms of child labor” looks to ILO Convention 182, which defines anyone under the age of 18 as a child, and specifies certain types of employment as “the worst forms of child labor.” These worst forms of labor include slavery, debt bondage, forced labor, forced recruitment into armed conflict, child prostitution and pornography, involvement in illicit activity such as drug production or trafficking, and work that, “by its nature or the circumstances in which it is carried out, is likely to harm the health, safety or morals of children.”
Discrimination with Respect to Employment and Occupation:
“Discrimination with respect to employment and occupation” may be direct or indirect. Direct discrimination exists when laws, rules, or practices explicitly cite a particular ground (such as sex, race, religion, political opinion, national or social origin, etc.) to deny equal opportunities for employment or vocational training, as well as any other ground for distinction determined to impair equal opportunity. The ILO has noted that indirect discrimination occurs where rules or practices appear on the surface to be neutral but in practice lead to unwarranted exclusions. For example, requiring applicants to be a certain height could disproportionately exclude women and members of some ethnic groups. Unless the specified height is necessary to perform the particular job, this could illustrate indirect discrimination.

U.S. law prohibits discrimination in respect to employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, genetic information, or age. Many states and municipalities also have enacted protections against discrimination and harassment based on sexual orientation, status as a parent, marital status, and political affiliation.
Acceptable Conditions of Work:
“Acceptable conditions of work” refers to the establishment and maintenance of appropriate mechanisms, adapted to national conditions, that provide for minimum working standards, namely: wages that provide a decent living for workers and their families; working hours that do not exceed 48 hours per week, with a full 24-hour day of rest; a specified number of annual paid leave days; and minimum conditions for the protection of the safety and health of workers. National laws should specify whether workers in the informal sector are covered, and whether or not any other group of workers or sectors of the economy are excluded.
							Appendix C														Appendix C: Additional Resources						

See below for resources on issues noted in the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. Reference does not indicate endorsement by the U.S. Department of State.
WOMEN- UN Interagency on Women and Gender Equality:  http://www.un.org/womenwatch/
- UN Population Fund:  https://www.unfpa.org/data/world-population-dashboard ;  http://www.unfpa.org/gender/index.htm  and  www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/resource-pdf/Preventing_gender-biased_sex_selection.pdf
- Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues, U. S. Department of State:  http://www.state.gov/s/gwi
- UNICEF:  http://www.childinfo.org/fgmc_progress.html  and  https://data.unicef.org/topic/child-protection/female-genital-mutilation-and-cutting/
- Population Reference Bureau:  http://www.prb.org
- World Health Organization   - http://apps.who.int/gho/data/node.main.530?lang=en
  - http://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/topics/fgm/overview/en/index.html  and   http://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/publications/monitoring/maternal-mortality-2015/en/ 
- UN Population Division 2018 World Contraceptive Use:  http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/dataset/contraception/wcu2018.shtml
- Demographic and Health Survey :  dhsprogram.com/Where-We-Work/
- Population Council:   https://www.popcouncil.org/uploads/pdfs/SOTA_Synthesis_2016_FINAL.pdf
- CIA:  https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/
CHILDREN- UNICEF:  http://www.unicef.org/ ,  https://www.unicef.org/reports/state-worlds-children-2017-0  and  http://mics.unicef.org/
- World Health Organization:  https://www.who.int/maternal_child_adolescent/child/en/
- UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict:  https://childrenandarmedconflict.un.org/
- WATCHLIST ON CHILDREN AND ARMED CHILDREN:  http://www.watchlist.org/
- 2015-16 Demographic and Health Survey :  dhsprogram.com/Where-We-Work/
ANTI-SEMITISM- Office of Religion and Global Affairs:  https://www.state.gov/s/rga/resources/267538.htm
TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS- Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, State Department:  http://www.state.gov/j/tip
PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES- Disabled Peoples’ International:  http://www.dpi.org/
- Disability Rights Promotion International:  http://www.yorku.ca/drpi/
- Administration and Cost of Elections Project:  http://www.aceproject.org/
- IFES – Democracy at Large:  http://www.ifes.org
- Ideanet International Disability Rights Monitor:  http://idrmnet.org/
- Disability Rights International:  http://disabilityrightsintl.org
- Mobility International USA:  http://www.miusa.org
- National Human Rights Institutions Forum:  http://www.nhri.net/
- United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities:  http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/CRPD/Pages/CRPDIndex.aspx
- United Nations Enable:  https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/
NATIONAL/RACIAL/ETHNIC MINORITIES- European Roma Human Rights Center:  http://www.errc.org/
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE- UN Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights’ section on Indigenous Rights:  https://www.ohchr.org/en/issues/ipeoples/Pages/IndigenousPeoplesIndex.aspx
ACTS OF VIOLENCE, DISCRIMINATION, AND OTHER ABUSES BASED ON SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND GENDER IDENTITY- Amnesty International:  https://www.amnestyusa.org/issues/gender-sexuality-identity/
- Council for Global Equality:  http://www.globalequality.org/
- Global Rights:  http://www.globalrights.org/
- Human Rights First:  www.humanrightsfirst.org/discrimination/pages.aspx?id=157
- Human Rights Watch:  www.hrw.org/en/category/topic/lgbt-rights
- International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission:  www.IGLHRC.org
- OutRight Action International:  https://outrightinternational.org/
- International Lesbian and Gay Association – Europe (ILGA-EUROPE):  www.ilga-europe.org
- Mulabi (covering Latin America):  http://www.mulabilatino.org/
- Yogyakarta Principles:  www.yogyakartaprinciples.org
HIV AND AIDS SOCIAL STIGMA- UNAIDS:  http://www.unaids.org/en/regionscountries/countries
- Stigma Index:  http://www.stigmaindex.org/
SCHOLARS AT RISK 2018 REPORT- https://www.scholarsatrisk.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Free-to-Think-2018.pdf
							Appendix D														Appendix D: FY 2018 Foreign Assistance Actuals						

Appendix D: FY 2018 Foreign Assistance Actuals [2 MB]

							Appendix E														Appendix E: UN General Assembly's Third Committee Country Resolution Votes 2018						

Appendix E: UN General Assembly’s Third Committee Country Resolution Votes 2018 [447 KB]

							Appendix F														Appendix F: United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights						

**Preamble***Whereas* recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,

*Whereas* disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people,

*Whereas* it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law,

*Whereas* it is essential to promote the development of friendly relations between nations,

*Whereas* the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,

*Whereas* Member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in cooperation with the United Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms,

*Whereas* a common understanding of these rights and freedoms is of the greatest importance for the full realization of this pledge,

*Now, therefore,*

The General Assembly proclaims this Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction.

**ARTICLE 1**

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

**ARTICLE 2**

Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.

**ARTICLE 3**

Everyone has the right to life, liberty and the security of person.

**ARTICLE 4**

No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.

**ARTICLE 5**

No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

**ARTICLE 6**

Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.

**ARTICLE 7**

All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.

**ARTICLE 8**

Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.

**ARTICLE 9**

No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.

**ARTICLE 10**

Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.

**ARTICLE 11**
- Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence.
- No one shall be held guilty of any penal offence on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a penal offence, under national or international law, at the time when it was committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the penal offence was committed.

**ARTICLE 12**

No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honor and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.

**ARTICLE 13**
- Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.
- Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.

**ARTICLE 14**
- Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.
- This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.

**ARTICLE 15**
- Everyone has the right to a nationality.
- No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor be denied the right to change his nationality.

**ARTICLE 16**
- Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.
- Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.
- The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.

**ARTICLE 17**
- Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others.
- No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.

**ARTICLE 18**

Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

**ARTICLE 19**

Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

**ARTICLE 20**
- Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
- No one may be compelled to belong to an association.

**ARTICLE 21**
- Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.
- Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country.
- The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.

**ARTICLE 22**

Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international cooperation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality.

**ARTICLE 23**
- Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
- Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
- Everyone who works has the right to just and favorable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
- Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.

**ARTICLE 24**

Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.

**ARTICLE 25**
- Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
- Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.

**ARTICLE 26**
- Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.
- Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.
- Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.

**ARTICLE 27**
- Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.
- Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author.

**ARTICLE 28**

Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized.

**ARTICLE 29**
- Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible.
- In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society.
- These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.

**ARTICLE 30**

Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein.

________________________________________

 

***Hundred and eighty-third plenary meeting******Resolution 217(A)(III) of the United Nations General Assembly,******December 10, 1948***

							Appendix G														Appendix G: Errata						

The following are changes to text of individual country reports since publication March 13, 2019.

**Azerbaijan**In the subsection on Political Parties and Political Participation of Section 3, corrected the number of registered political parties to 55.****

**The Bahamas**In the third paragraph of the Executive Summary, removed “and life-threatening.”****

**Brazil**In Section 7.b., deleted the eighth paragraph to remove an erroneous reference to previously reported events that took place in 2017.****

**Finland**In the second paragraph of the subsection on Anti-Semitism in Section 6, corrected the percentage of anti-Semitic acts among all hate crimes reported in 2017 to 3.8.

**Georgia**In the third paragraph of Section 2.a., deleted the last sentence to clarify that amendments to the Law on Broadcasting initially passed in 2017 did not affect the first quarter revenues of the Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB). The amendments did not go into effect until December 2018.

**Hungary**In the second paragraph of Section 4, corrected the last sentence by adding “National Bureau of Investigation” in place of “Prosecutor General’s Office.”

In the last sentence of the third paragraph of Section 4, expanded “PGO” to read “Prosecutor General’s Office.”

**Korea, Republic of**In the subsection on Protection of Refugees of Section 2.d., corrected the penultimate paragraph on Durable Solutions to clarify that the Ministry of Justice extended for two additional years a planned three-year (2015-2017) refugee resettlement program and that the ministry planned to accept up to 120 UNHCR-registered Burmese refugees from Malaysia from 2018 to 2019.

**Kyrgyzstan**In paragraph 11 of Section 2.a., corrected the last sentence to state that “In April President Jeenbekov withdrew his claim after Karabekov issued a formal apology.”****

**Libya**In the third paragraph of Section 1.a., corrected the number of documented civilian deaths to 177, as reported by the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).

**United Kingdom**Added “(Islas Malvinas)” after references to Falklands or Falkland Islands in Section 7.c, paragraphs 4 and 5.

**West Bank and Gaza**In the Executive Summary, corrected the reported number of Israeli soldiers killed by Palestinian civilians to seven, as reported by B’Tselem, IDF and UNOCHA.

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-  Overview    -  WHY THE REPORTS ARE PREPARED 
  -  HOW THE REPORTS ARE PREPARED 
-  Country Reports    -  Africa (Sub-Saharan) 
  -  East Asia and Pacific 
  -  Europe and Eurasia 
  -  Near East (Middle East and North Africa) 
  -  South and Central Asia 
  -  Western Hemisphere 
-  Appendix A: Notes on Preparation of the Country Reports and Explanatory Material 
-  Appendix B: Reporting on Worker Rights 
-  Appendix C: Additional Resources 
-  Appendix D: FY 2018 Foreign Assistance Actuals 
-  Appendix E: UN General Assembly's Third Committee Country Resolution Votes 2018 
-  Appendix F: United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights 
-  Appendix G: Errata 

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