WASHINGTON The United States accused China and Iran of worsening human rights abuses as it raised the alarm about growing anti-Semitism worldwide and discrimination of Muslims in Europe.

In its annual worldwide human rights reports, the State Department also denounced North Korea's “deplorable” record and complained of growing crackdowns on non-government organizations, persecution of vulnerable groups and media curbs.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters she viewed the reports, required by Congress, “as an important tool in the development of practical and effective human rights strategy by the United States government.”

In China, the report said, the authorities continued the repression of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang, the western region where China's Han majority engaged last year in deadly clashes with local Uighurs.

The report also 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.”

The report said 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.

It also continued its clampdown on the Falungong, a spiritual movement loosely based on Buddhist, Taoist and Confucian philosophies, the State Department said.

It quoted Falungong sources as saying that nearly 3,000 Falungong practitioners had been tortured to death since 1999.

The report, meanwhile, said neighboring North Korea's human rights record is “deplorable,” with the regime engaging in summary executions, torture, forced abortions and infanticide, the US State Department.

While it has little access to the reclusive nation, the State Department said there were credible reports of severe abuses of anyone perceived as critical of Kim Jong-Il's regime or who tries to emigrate illegally.

The United States is trying to restart multi-nation nuclear disarmament talks with North Korea, which quit the forum last year following UN censure over a long-range rocket test. Pyongyang then tested its second nuclear bomb.

The report said the military junta in Myanmar continued its “egregious human rights violations and abuses during the year,” including increased military attacks in ethnic minority regions, such as in the Karen and Shan state.

US efforts to engage diplomatically with the junta suffered a setback this week when it introduced laws banning the opposition from upcoming elections.

The State Department, meanwhile, charged that Iran's already “poor human rights record degenerated” in 2009, particularly with a deadly security crackdown after disputed presidential elections in June.

The sharp criticism comes as President Barack Obama's administration, having virtually abandoned its policy of diplomatic engagement with Tehran, pushes for tougher sanctions against the Islamic Republic over its nuclear ambitions.

Senior State Department official Michael Posner told reporters later that Iran is “a place where we are continuing to see severe repression” and the United States is continuing to pay “great attention” to the situation there.

Iran was also cited as a key example of governments that fuel anti-Semitism, often under a new guise of denouncing Zionism or Israeli policies. Egypt, a US ally, was also blamed.

“Traditional and new forms of anti-Semitism continued to arise, and a spike in such activity followed the Gaza conflict in the winter of 2008-2009,” the report said.

Meanwhile, the State Department expressed “growing concern” over the discrimination of Muslims in Europe, citing in particular a ban on the construction of minarets in Switzerland.

The report said Cuba, a country the Obama administration has tried to engage, continues to deny its citizens basic human rights, including the right to change their government, and has committed “numerous and serious abuses.” The State Department also signaled worrying trends.

“In a significant number of countries, governments have imposed new and often draconian restrictions on NGOs (non-government organizations),” it said.

Such “measures are part of a larger pattern of governmental efforts to control dissenting or critical voices,” a pattern that also extends to the media, including the Internet, it said.

It also warned of “escalating discrimination and persecution of members of vulnerable groups,” including racial, religious, or ethnic minorities, but also women, members of indigenous communities, and children. - AFP