US releases annual human rights report

WASHINGTON - The United States on Thursday released its controversial annual human rights report, once again pointing its finger at the human rights situation in other countries and regions, a notorious practice of interfering in other's internal affairs.

The report, entitled Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2011, highlights the "citizen uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa," in a 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 its government "took a number of bold steps to begin the long and difficult process of political reform and reconciliation."

However, 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.

Ignoring the obvious achievements made by China in protecting its citizens' rights and freedom, the report groundlessly slammed China for continued "deterioration" in key aspects of its human rights situation in 2011.

It even wrongfully blamed the immolations of monks and nuns in Tibetan regions on "political restrictions and lack of religious freedom."

China has made it clear that the self-immolations of monks and nuns in Tibetan regions were politically-motivated, as they were part of the Dalai Lama clique's scheme to internationalize the Tibet issue.

China has been consistent in rejecting the U.S. finger-pointing at China in the report, citing it is full of distortion and accusations.

It believes 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 has been committed to protecting human rights, and openly admitted that it has differences with the United States over issues concerning human rights.

It is also 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.