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US releases human rights report despite protests

China.org.cn, May 25, 2012

• The U.S. State Department on Thursday released its annual human rights report, once again criticizing the human rights situation in other countries and regions.

  The report, "Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2011," highlights the "citizen uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa" in a power change that "often creates instability before it leads to greater respect for democracy and human rights."

  It lauds Myanmar as "an example of a government moving toward a model of greater openness, democracy and liberty," noting that its government "took a number of bold steps to begin the long and difficult process of political reform and reconciliation."

  The report focuses on "a range of negative developments" in the human rights situation around the world, alleging that "a number of countries became less free as a result of flawed elections, restrictions on the universal rights to freedom of expression, assembly, or association, including on the Internet, moves to censor or intimidate the media, or attempts to control or curtail the activities of nongovernmental groups."

  The report claimed that "overall human rights conditions remained extremely poor" in countries including Iran, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Syria, Belarus and China.

  The report slammed China for allegedly having continued "deterioration" in key aspects of its human rights situation in 2011, blaming the immolations of monks and nuns in Tibetan regions on "political restrictions and lack of religious freedom."

  It ignored China’s statement that the self-immolations of monks and nuns in Tibetan regions were politically-motivated, and that they were part of the Dalai Lama clique's scheme to internationalize the Tibet issue.

  China has been consistent in rejecting the U.S. criticisms at China in the report, stating that it is full of distortion and wrongful accusations.

  It further states that the U.S. government has been using the human rights issue as a political tool to defame other nations and seek its own strategic interests.

  The Chinese government said it has been committed to protecting human rights, and openly admitted that it has differences with the United States over issues concerning human rights.

  However, its leaders have also stated the country’s willing to have dialogues on the topic with the U.S. side on the basis of equality and mutual respect, yet it firmly stands against foreign interference with China's internal affairs under the pretext of human rights.

  In response to the report, China has been issuing the Human Rights Record of the United States since 1998 to retort the impudent U.S. criticism of China's human rights conditions.

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