Clinton: 2011 a 'Tumultuous' Year for Human Rights

In a news conference Thursday, Clinton said men and women demanded their rights from the Arab Spring revolutions in the Middle East and to Burma, where historical political reforms took place.

She noted that Egyptian citizens are going to the polls for the first time to determine who their leaders will be, 15 months after long-time President Hosni Mubarak resigned amid massive protests.

But Clinton denounced the Syrian government's approach to human rights.  She said the "brutality" of the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad must end, noting that Syrians are aware they deserve better treatment.  

The U.S. State Department is issuing a lengthy report Thursday examining human rights practices around the world.

The report said human rights conditions remained "extremely poor" in many countries that received negative assessments in 2010, including Iran, North Korea, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Syria, Belarus and China.

It also said a disturbing trend in 2011 was the treatment of religious minorities, including Ahmadis, Bahais, Tibetan Buddhists, Christians and Jews.

But the report said the events in Burma may inspire "closed societies" to improve their human rights practices.  It said Burma has a government that is moving toward a model of "openness, democracy and liberty, attributes that can lead to greater innovation, prosperity and inclusion."

Since taking office more than a year ago, Burmese President Thein Sein has enacted a series of democratic reforms, including greater press freedom and the release of many political prisoners.