China hits back at US

25 May 2012 10:15 am

Criticizing the US government report on human rights, China today said that ‘the United States has turned a blind eye to its own woeful human rights situation and remained silent about it,” Xinhua news agency reported.

The "Human Rights Record of the United States in 2011" was released by the Information Office of the State Council, or China's cabinet, in response to the "Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2011" issued by the U.S. State Department on May 24.

The U.S. report is "full of overly critical remarks on human rights conditions in nearly 200 countries and regions, as well as distortions and accusations concerning human rights causes in China. However, the United States has turned a blind eye to its own woeful human rights situation and remained silent about it," China's report said.

The "Human Rights Record of the United States in 2011" is intended to reveal the "true human rights situation" of the U.S. to the world and "urge the U.S. to confront its own actions," the document said.

The report states that violations of civil and political rights have been "severe" in the U.S., adding that the country is "lying to itself" when referring to itself as the "land of the free."

The report cited the treatment of protestors participating in the Occupy Wall Street movement, stating that their arrests can provide a "glimpse of the truth regarding the United States' so-called freedom and democracy."