Despite recognising that the Nepali government "generally" respects human rights, the US State Department's 2001 human rights report on Nepal sharply criticises both the police and the Maoists. The report, which was released on 4 March, notes that though police forces are subject to "effective civilian control", since the declaration of the emergency on 26 November, "the police committed a number of serious human rights abuses." The report says that these include, at times, the use of unwarranted lethal force and torture as punishment to extract confessions, and arbitrary arrests and detentions. The report also points to the disappearance of persons in custody as a problem and says prison conditions remain poor. The Maoists have come in for a fair share of criticism too. The report criticises the insurgents for waging an insurrection "through torture, killings, bombings, extortion, and intimidation against civilians and public officials." The annual human rights report is required by US law so the State Department can determine if countries receiving financial assistance meet the human rights standards set by the US Congress.