The U.S. State Department says human rights abuses in Latin America are declining as democracy strengthens in the region, but that Colombia and Cuba remain two areas of concern. 

In an annual report released Monday, the State Department credits the Peruvian government for taking significant steps to investigate past abuses and corruption under former President Alberto Fujimori. The report also notes that current President Alejandro Toledo assumed power in 2001 following elections that observers considered to be generally free and fair. 

The State Department report says in Mexico, security forces have been accused of torturing detainees. It does, however, credit President Vicente Fox with naming a special prosecutor to investigate the unexplained disappearance of some 275 people dating back to the 1970s. 

The report also says the human rights situation remains poor in Colombia, where leftist rebel groups are at war against the government of President Andres Pastrana and a right-wing paramilitary force. The report notes the conflict, which began in 1964, kills as many as 3,500 people each year. In addition, it blames the outlawed groups for targeting civilians for kidnappings and massacres. 

In the Caribbean, the report describes Cuba as a totalitarian state where President Fidel Castro controls all aspects of life. Like Colombia, the report says Cuba's human rights situation is poor and that the government systematically violates people's civil and political rights. 

It notes, too, that detainees and prisoners, including human rights activists, are targeted for abuses. The report says inmates have died in Cuban jails for lack of medical care.

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