Moscow Critical of United States Human Rights Report
The government in Moscow is criticizing a report issued by the United States claiming that Russia’s human rights record has gotten worse over the past year. The Foreign Ministry claims that the report was written solely for the purpose of furthering American political interests.
The report claimed that Putin’s government has restricted free speech, centralized power and is using armed forces to kill and abuse civilians in Chechnya. Russia has replied by accusing the United States of having double standards and says they are preaching to the world, but not practicing what they preach.
Moscow is critical of the annual State Department report every year because many see the United States as continually meddling in the affairs of Russia, particularly since the 1991 Soviet collapse. Russia is being more assertive in standing up to the U.S. as its oil based economy becomes stronger and approval for America throughout the world continues to weaken due to the war in Iraq and other decisions by the Bush administration.
The decision by the United States to put missile defense stations in former Soviet regions in Europe has strained relations between the two countries more in recent weeks.
Ties between the two countries have been further strained in recent weeks by U.S. plans to place missile defense facilities in former Soviet satellite states in Europe.
Russia has also stated that the United States has been limiting the democratic freedoms of its citizens, sends minors to the electric chair and censors the media.
