US duplicity on human rights exposed

Editor’s Note: The US State Department’s human rights report, issued on June 24, makes indiscreet remarks on the human rights records of more than 100 countries and regions, including China. Also, the Information Office of the State Council, China’s Cabinet, published the “US Human Rights Record 2014” on June 25 to let the world know the US’ sordid human rights record. Following are the comments of some experts:

Racial issues, as a chronic illness, have always afflicted US human rights. It exists in every corner of US society and influences the daily life of the ethnic minorities. The “We” in the US Federal Constitution is actually a pronoun for white people. Although the American Civil War ended slavery and the laws gave black people their legal rights, racial discrimination still exists in many people’s minds. Racial discrimination seems ingrained in US culture.

Ji Hong, a researcher in US studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

US schools’ racial quotas and discrimination against Asian students are preventing Asian children from getting quality education. This is a serious human rights issue in US society. Although Asian students get higher scores and perform better in sports and social work, and are more talented, they still find it difficult to get seats in key universities compared with white students. Racial discrimination has always existed in US society.

Li Zhongxia, researcher in law at Jinan-based Shandong University

The US is excessively concerned about the human rights records of other countries despite having a bad record of infringing upon human rights of other countries. After World War II, the US has invaded the highest number of countries and/or used its military against them. Its military has abused prisoners of war on a large scale. To maintain its hegemony, the US has imposed economic sanctions on countries that don’t yield to its wishes. The “color revolutions” it supported have forced many countries into chaos. It has used its “PRISM plan” to spy on world leaders, governments and people of other countries, which is brutal violation of human rights and international laws. In short, the US surveillance program exposes its duplicity on human rights.

Li Yunlong, researcher in interna- tional studies with the Party School of Central Committee of Communist Party of China

The US initially refused to join the United Nations’ Human Rights Council because of its political bias, and does not care about the international community’s criticism of its human rights problems, such as gun violence, police violence and racial discrimination. And without joining some core international human rights conventions, it has been publishing human rights reports on other countries since the 1970s, when it decided to use human rights as a political weapon. Over the past 40 years many countries have made remarkable progress on the human rights front but the US is simply blind to the fact.

Liu Huawen, researcher in international law at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

If the US cultivates deep inequality under the guise of liberalism, we have reason to question its commitment to equality. If US liberalism encourages the inequality principle, it is not qualified to prepare human rights reports on other countries.

Zhou Li, a researcher in human studies at Southwest University of Political Science and Law

LUO JIE / CHINA DAILY