Human rights are international moral and legal norms that aspire to protect all people everywhere from severe political, legal, and social abuses.

Kind said he considers the issue a high priority, especially the security, treatment and conditions the Hmong returnees are facing. He said he has discussed the situation with other members of Congress and the Lao embassy in Washington, D.C.

A battle over Thailand’s future is raging, but the one man who has been able to resolve such intractable conflicts in the past has been notably silent: King Bhumibol Adulyadej, long a unifying father figure for his nation.

Southeast Asian leaders open talks Thursday with their vision of building a regional community of nations overshadowed by major unrest in Thailand and Myanmar's widely criticised election plans.

Thousands of anti-government protesters occupied the commercial heart of Thailand's capital on Saturday, forcing the closure of major shopping malls, and said they won't leave until the prime minister dissolves Parliament and calls new elections.

WASHINGTON — At a time of heavy international pressure on Iran, the State Department said on Thursday that the human rights situation there had “degenerated” since the disputed presidential election last year.

A senior UN official has called for Burma's military rulers to be investigated over allegations of crimes against humanity and war crimes perpetrated against Burmese civilians, in a move that will sharply increase pressure on the isolated regime ahead of controversial national elections due later this year.

YANGON, Myanmar — Myanmar said Monday that a long-awaited election law was complete, paving the way for the country’s first elections in two decades, a major step toward what the junta bills as its route toward democratic rule.