Secretary of State Rex Tillerson promised during his confirmation hearing he would promote human rights as a core American value. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post)Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who during his confirmation hearings repeatedly vowed to promote human rights as a core American value, alarmed human rights advocates when he did not appear in person to present the State Department’s annual human rights report, released Friday. “While the U.S. commitment to human rights has been imperfect, it has always been one of the key pillars of foreign policy,” said Sarah Margon, the Washington director for Human Rights Watch. Some human rights advocates said their concerns are heightened by reports of budget cuts impacting humanitarian aid and Trump’s campaign remarks that he supports waterboarding and worse. Human Rights First said Tillerson’s decision to forgo a public rollout suggests U.S. leadership on the issue is waning.

Source: Washington Post March 03, 2017 19:30 UTC