Russian MFA Information and Press Department Commentary Regarding Questions from Interfax and RosBiznesConsulting News Agencies Concerning US State Department Annual Report on Human Rights Practices in the World
Unofficial translation from Russian
Question: How could you comment on the annual report on human rights practices in the world, released by the US State Department?
Commentary: Unfortunately, the contents of the regular US foreign affairs agency report on human rights again give grounds to indicate that double standards are intrinsic to the US approach towards such an important topic. The assessments given in respect of our country can by no means be called objective, as they are based for the most part on an arbitrary interpretation of the facts, and sometimes even on rumors.
The entire report seems to be politically engaged. Russia is being subjected to blanket criticism, but at the same time there has been no room found in this so voluminous work for, say, assessing the discriminatory policies of the official authorities of Latvia and Estonia towards the Russian-speaking population of these countries. Of, course, traditionally left off screen is the mixed record of the United States itself, which is causing serious concern among international human rights organizations, including the inhuman treatment of the inmates in US prisons in Iraq, collisions in presidential elections and the surviving discrimination against racial and ethnic minorities.
We are open for discussion and an unbiased exchange of views on human rights problems. An example of this kind of mutually respectful discussion without labels was the recently concluded Russian-American summit in Bratislava, at which the presidents of our countries among other agenda items touched upon the theme of democracy in Russia and the US as well. Against this background the report, drawn up according to stereotypes of the past, is dissonant with what is actually occurring in our bilateral dialogue and ignores the objective situation in Russian society, which in the State Department's interpretation turns out to be distorted beyond recognition. Russia's commitment to universal human rights standards and the democratic road of development, as well as our readiness to develop constructive engagement with the international community in this area were again expressly and unambiguously confirmed in the course of the visit made this past February to the Russian Federation by Louise Arbour, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
March 2, 2005
