BEIJING, March 29 (Xinhua) -- Until now, the United States, a keen "preacher of human rights," has not only failed to correct its mistakes but has sunk deeper and deeper into the debt crisis of human rights.
With human rights being the favored sermon of the United States, it seems to fall on deaf ears when practicing what they preach in its fight against COVID-19.
In 2021, the United States has seen the world's highest numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths, with 34.51 million confirmed cases and 480,000 fatalities. Average life expectancy also fell by 1.13 years, the biggest drop since the Second World War.
As Michael Hiltzik, a columnist for Los Angeles Times commented, 2021 was "the stupidest year in American history."
The culprit behind the scene is some U.S. politicians' constant politicization of the pandemic while disregarding the lives and health of American people.
In addition, the United States is facing other tough human rights challenges.
For instance, it is reported that there were 693 mass shootings in 2021, up 10.1 percent from 2020, and more than 44,000 people were killed due to gun violence in the United States. Racial discrimination is also on the rise, and it is frequently reported that American prison staff violate human rights.
Fernand de Varennes, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on minority issues, stressed the U.S. legal system of human rights protection is incomplete and outdated, which has led to growing inequality.
In the international community, the public persona of U.S. self-styled "human rights defender" has also collapsed in 2021.
In 2021, from the Capitol Hill riot in January and the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan in August to the so-called "Summit for Democracy" in December, the United States has shown the world how the prestige of U.S.-style human rights can plummet.
People will not forget the airstrike carried out by the U.S. military when it was withdrawing from Afghanistan that killed 10 people in an Afghan family, including seven children, the youngest being only two years old. What qualifies a mass murderer to boast human rights?
Talking about "democracy" and "human rights," but thinking about self-interest, some U.S. politicians are actually advocating "hegemony" instead of "human rights."
The United States must face up to and resolve its own systemic and chronic human rights problems, instead of undermining the human rights of other countries in the name of protecting human rights.
If the United States ceases being a lecturer of human rights, the situation of human rights in the world will be better. ■