Publisher's Synopsis
This 18th annual World Report summarizes human rights conditions in more than 75 countries worldwide. It reflects extensive investigative work undertaken in 2007 by Human Rights Watch staff, usually in close partnership with human rights activists in the country in question. One key theme is the misuse of "democracy." Rarely has democracy been so acclaimed yet so disrespected. Even autocrats aspire to the status conferred by the label and, too often, the established democracies-because of competing interests or discomfort with the human rights that underlie genuine democracy let them get away with it. Mere democratic gestures should not be allowed to substitute for real reform.
