Chinese human rights report attacks US 'hypocrisy'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-39227384

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An annual report by China on human rights in the US has accused it of corruption, hypocrisy and brutality.

"In 2016, money politics and power-for-money deals controlled the presidential election, which was full of lies and farces," it said.

"There were no guarantees of political rights."

The US regularly accuses China of ignoring human rights - its own annual report on human rights in almost 200 countries was released last week.

The US report said Chinese civil society groups suffered "repression and coercion" and accused Beijing of curtailing freedoms in Hong Kong and Macau.

As well as sharp criticisms of American democracy, Beijing's report - which drew heavily on US media coverage - also highlighted cases of police violence and racism.

It accused the US of "wielding 'the baton of human rights'" while "paying no attention to its own terrible human rights problems".

"With the gunshots lingering in people's ears behind the Statue of Liberty, worsening racial discrimination and the election farce dominated by money politics, the self-proclaimed human rights defender has exposed its human rights 'myth' with its own deeds," it said.

Beijing strictly curtails freedom of speech and is frequently criticised for arbitrary detentions, official brutality, widespread corruption, a lack of transparency, a pliant judiciary and little in the way of democracy.

It is also extremely sensitive to criticism and has cracked down on domestic critics.