Thursday, March 9 2006 15:21 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Beijing: Hitting back at the US for criticising its human rights record, China today(Mar 9,2006) accused Washington of pursuing unilateralism, committing gross abuses in countries like Iraq and even snooping into the lives of American people.

"Pursuing unilateralism on the international arena, the US Government grossly violates the sovereignty and human rights of other countries in contempt of universally-recognised international norms," the Chinese government said in a report on the state of human rights in the United States in 2005.

The Chinese document was in response to the US State Department's annual human rights report which alleged yesterday that China increased its censorship of the Internet and media critics in 2005 and that harassment and detention of those challenging the Chinese authorities grew.

Released by the Information Office of China's State Council, the Cabinet, the seven-part report listed a multitude of cases to show the 'serious violations" of human rights both in and outside the United States'.

"As in previous years, the US State Department pointed the finger at human rights situations in more than 190 countries and regions but kept silent on the violations of human rights in the United States," said the Chinese report.

To help people realise the true features of this self-styled 'guardian of human rights,' it is necessary to probe into the human rights abuses in the US in 2005, it said while also charging the US government with committing gross abuses in countries like Iraq and snooping into the lives of American people.