You’re right, but the idea is, the rights exist objectively, whether they’re recognized to exist or not…that’s the whole idea of human rights. A human right doesn’t exist because it’s recognized…it just is, whether, as America’s Declaration of Independence puts it, it’s because people “are endowed by their creator”, or as Locke believed, it’s something that’s just natural. The OP asked, “Is it possible for a Communist nation where basic human rights are respected exist?” By the act of asking this question, the OP assumes.
- Basic human rights exist
and - A nation is free to either respect these rights or not respect them.
Of course, if either one of these statements is false, the question is meaningless, so, to answer the question, we must assume, for purposes of the question that both statements are true.
To answer your question, then, rights can exist without the government recognizing them, because individuals existed independent of government, and these rights existed before governments formed.