Responding to a question about China, Posner said, “The space for human rights advocacy has narrowed.” He cited the case of lawyer Gao Zhisheng, who remains incarcerated in Shenzhen for standing up for Falun Gong practitioners and petitioners in China.
“It’s tough for journalists. It’s tough for bloggers. And we’ve also seen and are concerned about the restrictions on religious freedom for the Tibetans—for example, Buddhists—and are very concerned by the self-immolations,” Posner said.
There was also some good news. For the first time Burma’s government moved toward “greater openness, democracy, and liberty,” the report said.
“The size of the task ahead does not diminish the excitement of these first steps, or the sense of possibility they may inspire in other closed societies.”
Transparent and credible elections in Zambia and Tunisia also offered hope while Colombia made gains in stopping extrajudicial killings.
Continued on the next page: More Leadership
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