Latest News


Regional Affairs

2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Belize

Release: Belize is a constitutional parliamentary democracy. In the most recent national election, held in 2020, the People’s United Party won 26 of 31 seats in the National Assembly and selected John Briceno as prime minister. King Charles III is the head of state and is represented by a governor general. In May 2021, Froyla T’zalam assumed the post of governor general following the retirement of Sir Colville Young.


Regional Affairs

2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Honduras

Release: Honduras is a constitutional, multiparty republic. The most recent national and local elections were held in November 2021. Voters elected Xiomara Castro of the LIBRE Party as president for a four-year term beginning in January. International observers generally recognized the elections as free and fair.


Regional Affairs

2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Grenada

Release: Grenada is a parliamentary democracy with a bicameral legislature. In the general election on June 23, the National Democratic Congress won nine of 15 seats, and on June 24, Dickon Mitchell was named prime minister. Observers considered the elections to have been conducted peacefully and according to established procedures.


Regional Affairs

2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Haiti

Release: Haiti is a constitutional republic with a multiparty political system. During the year, the country was in an extraconstitutional situation. Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who acted as head of state and head of government, was appointed by President Jovenel Moïse three days before Moïse’s death in July...


Regional Affairs

2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Argentina

Release: Argentina is a federal constitutional republic. In October 2019, Alberto Fernández was elected president in elections that local and international observers considered generally free and fair. In November 2021, the country held midterm municipal, provincial, and federal elections. Voters elected one-half of the members of the Chamber of Deputies and one-third of the members of the Senate.


Regional Affairs

2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Release: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is a multiparty, parliamentary democracy. The prime minister is the head of the government. King Charles III is the head of state; most royal functions are exercised by a governor-general named by the prime minister. In 2020, Ralph Gonsalves was elected to a fifth consecutive term as prime minister. Regional and local observers assessed the election as generally free and fair.


Regional Affairs

2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: El Salvador

Release: El Salvador is a constitutional multiparty republic with a democratically elected government. In 2019 voters elected Nayib Bukele as president for a five-year term. The election was generally free and fair, according to international observers. Municipal and legislative elections took place in February 2021 and also were considered largely free and fair by observers.


Regional Affairs

The Departure of Dr. Karen Donfried

Release: For the last 18 months, Dr. Karen Donfried has led the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs with the utmost skill and commitment during a pivotal time. As she prepares to depart the Department at the end of the month, I thank Karen for her tremendous service to the Department and the American people.


Regional Affairs

2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Jamaica

Release: Jamaica is a constitutional parliamentary democracy. The Jamaica Labour Party, led by Prime Minister Andrew Michael Holness, held 48 of the 63 seats in the House of Representatives. International and local election observers deemed the elections in September 2020 to be transparent, free, fair, and generally peaceful.


Regional Affairs

2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Guyana

Release: The Cooperative Republic of Guyana is a multiparty democracy. National and regional elections took place in March 2020, and the People’s Progressive Party/Civic won both the presidency and a majority of representational seats. International and local observers considered the elections free and fair.


Regional Affairs

2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Ecuador

Release: Ecuador is a constitutional, multiparty republic with an elected president and unicameral legislature. In April 2021, voters elected President Guillermo Lasso Mendoza from a center-right alliance of the Creating Opportunities Movement, the Social Christian Party, and other selected members of the National Assembly in elections that observers deemed free and fair.


Regional Affairs

2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Cuba

Release: Cuba is an authoritarian state. The 2019 constitution codifies that Cuba remains a one-party system in which the Communist Party is the only legal political party. In national elections held in October 2019, Miguel Díaz-Canel was declared the winner of the role for president. He assumed the presidency...


Regional Affairs

2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Saint Kitts and Nevis

Release: Saint Kitts and Nevis is a multiparty parliamentary democracy and federation. The prime minister is the head of government. King Charles III is the head of state, represented by a governor general. The constitution provides the smaller island of Nevis considerable powers of self-governance under a premier.


Regional Affairs

2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Brazil

Release: Executive Summary Title. Brazil is a constitutional, multiparty republic governed by a democratically elected government. In October, voters chose the president and bicameral national legislature in elections that international and national observers reported were free and fair. On Oct. 2, in the...


Regional Affairs

2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Chile

Release: Chile is a constitutional multiparty democracy. In November 2021, the country held presidential elections and concurrent legislative elections that observers considered free and fair. In December 2021, President-elect Gabriel Boric won a runoff election and on March 11, assumed office. On July 4, a Constitutional Convention presented the text of a proposed new constitution. On September 4, 62 percent of the voters voted to reject the proposed constitution.


Regional Affairs

2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Uruguay

Release: The Oriental Republic of Uruguay is a constitutional republic with a democratically elected president and a bicameral legislature. In the 2019 national elections, Luis Lacalle Pou won a five-year presidential term. No political party won a majority in parliament, but the ruling party formed a coalition to pass legislation. Elections were considered free and fair by observers.


Regional Affairs

2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Ukraine

Release: Russia-Occupied Areas. Note: The human rights situation in territories occupied by Russia at the time of writing, including Crimea and parts of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhya Oblasts, are covered in a separate subreport. The main body of this report covers the human rights situation in ...


Regional Affairs

G7 Foreign Ministers’ Statement On the launch of an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile by North Korea

Release: The text of the following statement was released by the G7 foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America and the High Representative of the European Union.


Regional Affairs

Joint Communique from the March 19 meeting in Sharm El Sheikh

Release: The following text reflects the Joint Communique following today’s meeting in Sharm El Sheikh Egypt.


Regional Affairs

G7 Foreign Ministers’ Statement On the launch of an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile by North Korea

Release: The text of the following statement was released by the G7 foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America and the High Representative of the European Union.