Despite claims that it is the bastion of human rights, America should reflect on its own abuses and take measures to stop them

The United States Department of State, the federal office responsible for international relations, drew a dismal picture of human rights conditions worldwide in its annual survey of 194 countries and regions released last Thursday.

In so doing, the US, the self-proclaimed guardian of human rights, has attempted to present the most authoritative and detailed document on the state of human rights around the world. But the failure of the lengthy document to mention human rights conditions in the US has added to the growing suspicion of Washington's real motives behind the survey.