'Trendlines' on human rights moving 'wrong' way: Blinken

The State Department released reports on human rights last year in nearly 200 countries, which are required annually by law and include detailed reports on geopolitical rivals like Russia and China.

Blinken said some governments had used the coronavirus crisis as a "pretext to target their critics and further repress human rights."

Blinken also said that the State Department would bring back topics of reproductive health in the country reports, topics removed by the former administration of President Donald Trump.

An addendum will be released later this year that will cover the issues, which include information about maternal mortality and discrimination against women in accessing sexual and reproductive health, Blinken said.