US accuses Russia of human rights violations in annual report

Washington [US], April 13 : The United States slammed Russia over alleged human rights violations, the State Department said in its annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices on Tuesday.
The State Department said the report strives to provide a factual and objective record of the status of human rights worldwide, covering 198 countries and territories.
"The Russian Federation has a highly centralized, authoritarian political system dominated by President Vladimir Putin," the report said.
The United States in the report claims Russia failed to provide adequate responses to identify, investigate, prosecute or punish most officials who committed human rights abuses.
Crimea's reunification with Russia and alleged human rights violations by local authorities in Chechnya, as well as the alleged poisoning of opposition figure Alexey Navalny were also listed in the report.
The State Department went as far as to accuse the Russian government of attempts to commit extrajudicial killings.
It said the reports paint a picture of where human rights and democracy are under threat.
The report highlights where governments have unjustly jailed, tortured, or even killed political opponents, activists, human rights defenders, or journalists, including in China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Nicaragua, and Syria.
Last year, the Kremlin said it disagreed with the report's findings.