Sudan’s FM calls United States one of the world’s worst abusers of human rights

NAIROBI, May 6, 2004 (AP) — Sudan ‘s foreign minister said the U.S. was one of the world’s worst abusers of human rights, citing photographs of Iraqi prisoners being abused in Iraq.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Mustafa Osman Ismail said during a regional meeting in Kenya Thursday that the U.S. government was hypocritical when it came to human rights.

“The United States is one of the biggest human rights violators, whether in Iraq, or in other parts of the world,” he said. “But still it assumes it is the number one protector of human rights.”

The U.S. government has been highly critical of Sudan ‘s human rights record, accusing the Islamic government of being complicit in slavery and ethnic cleansing. Ismail said he would reject any further criticism from the U.S.

“The United States should look first to what they are doing in Iraq and Afghanistan,” he said. “Then they can talk about human rights in Sudan .”

U.S. officials walked out of a U.N. meeting Tuesday to protest its decision minutes later to give Sudan a third term on the Human Rights Commission, the world body’s human rights watchdog.

U.S. Ambassador Sichan Siv called the vote an “absurdity” and accused Sudan of massive human rights violations and “ethnic cleansing” in the western Darfur region before getting up from his chair and walking out of the Economic and Social Council chamber.

The U.S. government has consistently called on Sudan to allow foreign experts to investigate the accusations. Last week, Sudan allowed two U.N. teams to look into abuse allegations in Darfur.

“U.S. soldiers there are torturing people,” Ismail said. “But still, instead of establishing an independent inquiry to investigate this and punish American soldiers…they say they will do their own investigation.”

U.S. diplomats in Nairobi declined to comment on Ismail’s remarks and said they would be reported back to the State Dept. headquarters in Washington