US must heed its own human rights abuses
China Daily  Updated: 2006-03-10 06:07

The US Government needs to take a look at itself before throwing mud in the faces of others.

Once again, the US State Department published a report on Wednesday on human rights practices in other countries, pointing its fingers at other countries for their so-called human rights abuses. It has done the same thing seven times now.

Criticizing other people while ignoring one's own problems is hypocrisy, something the United States is guilty of on human rights issues.

If it has real concern for human rights conditions for people all over the world, it should set an example.

The US has indeed set an example: An example of treading on the fundamental human rights of not only its own people, but the people of other countries as well.

This includes the abuse of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay and in Iraq, rampant violent crimes within its own territory, discrimination against women, and infringements upon personal rights and freedoms by law enforcement and judicial organs.

All these speak volumes for the human rights conditions in the United States. Yet despite such a human rights record, the country acts as if it were the judge of human rights for the entire world, and had the right to educate other countries on the matter.

Acting as a "guardian" of human rights, the United States is adopting double standards. It has never put the abuses mentioned above into the category of human rights violations. Instead, it accuses other countries of their abuses.

Who has given it the right to do so? Is it simply because the United States is the only superpower in the world? If this is so, it is lording it over other countries.

The act of reprimanding other countries for their human rights abuses in a condescending manner does not help interaction between countries in solving human rights problems.

If it had real concern for human rights and for an ideal world of peace and equality, the United States should never have acted as a superior to the rest of the world in all aspects.

Yes, the United States is superior to other countries in military power, but not in the domain of morals and ethics.

It is inhuman to thrust down the throat of others one's own understanding of demoracy and freedom , especially using military power.

We are in an era when democracy and peace prevail. It has become a universally accepted principle that every country, small or large, should enjoy equal rights in world politics. We need to build an international environment that will enable us to solve problems through earnest talks and negotiations.

The issuance of such a report by the US State Department goes against this principle because it betrays its arrogance, and attitude of superiority towards other countries.

There is no such a thing as a perfect social system, nor is there a country completely free of human rights abuses. What makes the difference are the efforts that a country has made or is making to build a better system and wipe out the abuses.

If the United States really cared for the human rights conditions of its people and other peoples, it should have worked with other countries in a serious manner within the framework of the United Nations to strive for the eradication of poverty, for the rights of impoverished countries for development and for building a better world for all human beings.

(China Daily 03/10/2006 page4)

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