WASHINGTON: A US report hailed the “yearning for change” in Arab countries and moves toward openness in military-backed Myanmar, saying they may inspire a push for freedom in other dark reaches of the world.

But, in its 2011 human rights report, the State Department said the human rights situation in China was “deteriorating” and highlighted alleged abuses in Sudan, Iran, Eritrea, Russia, Syria, Pakistan and other countries.

In presenting the annual report, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said “this has been an especially tumultuous and momentous year for everyone involved in the cause of human rights.

“Many of the events that have dominated recent headlines from the revolutions in the Middle East to reforms in Burma (Myanmar) began with human rights, with the clear call of men and women demanding their universal rights.”

The report said “the yearning for change we have witnessed in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, and Syria is inspirational, and yet change often creates instability before it leads to greater respect for democracy and human rights.”

Following decades of repression, “it will take time to create diverse political parties, a robust civil society, a climate conducive to freedom of expression, and a transparent political culture,” it said.

It warned of transitions that can be “chaotic, unstable and at times violent,” adding they are rarely quick, smooth or easy even when they succeed.

And it recalled the high cost to demonstrators in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Bahrain, Yemen and Syria, where thousands have been killed and many others abused by security forces.

“But the images of demonstrators who had seemingly lost all fear, risking their lives to oppose governments they deemed illegitimate, inspired people around the world,” it said.

“Even in the most isolated places, the desire for greater freedom and political and economic opportunity began to flicker,” the report said.

The report then hailed the changes in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, where the military-backed regime of President Thein Sein has surprised many observers with a spate of reforms designed to break decades of isolation.

“Burma offers an example of a government moving towards a model of greater openness, democracy, and liberty, attributes that can lead to greater innovation, prosperity, and inclusion,” it said.

“Much remains to be done to implement reforms and especially to address the legacy of decades of violence against ethnic minorities,” the report said.

“But 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, such as Iran, North Korea, Uzbekistan, Eritrea, or Sudan,” it added.

The report said that China's human rights record was getting worse, with authorities stepping up efforts to silence activists and stifle public debate.

The report said that Chinese forces “reportedly committed arbitrary or unlawful killings” and has held activists in unknown circumstances including human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng and ethnic Mongolian campaigner Hada.

The report was issued just days after China allowed one of its best-known activists, Chen Guangcheng, to go to the United States after he dramatically escaped house arrest and took refuge in the US embassy.

The State Department report covered 2011, before the high-profile saga over Chen. In the report, the State Department detailed concerns over the treatment of Chen including “severe” beatings by thugs against him and his wife.

The report was also particularly critical of Eritrea, where it said “widespread” human rights abuses continued.

“Security forces tortured and beat army deserters, draft evaders, persons attempting to flee the country and members of certain religious groups,” it said.

In Sudan, government forces staged air raids on civilian areas on the border with South Sudan, while human rights abuses “went unpunished,” the report said.

The Iranian government “continued to deny its citizens human rights, including the freedoms of expression, assembly, association, movement, and religion,” it said.

In Pakistan, security forces, extremists and separatists were implicated in “extrajudicial killings, torture, and forced disappearances,” it said.

“These affected thousands of citizens in nearly all areas of the country.”In Russia, “attacks on and killings of journalists and activists continued,” while there were reports of “significant irregularities and fraud”during parliamentary elections in December.