Russia criticizes US reports on human rights

MOSCOW - Russia on Monday criticized the US 2012 report on human rights and accused it of applying double standards, the Foreign Ministry said Monday.

Russia believed the 2012 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, which was submitted to the US Congress by Secretary of State John Kerry on April 19, misused the humanitarian and human rights topics in favor of Washington's political interests, said the ministry's Envoy for Human Rights, Democracy, Supremacy of Law Sergei Dolgov in an online comment.

"The report suffers from the same shortcomings the previous similar reports used to do," Dolgov said, adding the report is lack of sources behind its conclusions, including the Russia chapter.

"US partners do not want to notice the large-scale work of Russian leadership to enhance political and judicial systems, reforming the law-enforcement agencies and penitentiary establishments, fighting corruption," said the diplomat.

He stressed that no country was immune to problems in human rights sphere, the US has not been an exception.

Meanwhile, Moscow was puzzled by the report's statements that an alleged conflict in the North Caucasus between Russian federal troops and rebels, radical and criminal groups created "atmosphere of impunity" and human rights abuses.

Dolgov said in the North Caucasus, Russian law-enforcement agencies counter terrorism threat which is an essential task for the US too, as the recent tragic bombing event in Boston showed.

Russia "categorically cannot accept such an openly politicized substitution of notions," he said.

He added that Moscow expected more objective and balanced approach of the US to the human rights issues.

Russia was ready for an open, constructive, equal, mutually respectful dialogue and cooperation with the US on human rights problems, he noted.