Mexican president slams US for human rights report

MEXICO CITY

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador condemned the US on Tuesday for a human rights report that had concerns about violence and impunity in Mexico.

Lopez Obrador criticized the US and demanded more "respect" for Mexico at a news conference.

"They are not used to respecting the sovereignty of peoples. Yesterday, for example, the State Department issued a resolution stating that human rights are being violated in Mexico, and they are setting themselves up as the judges of the world," he said.

Lopez Obrador also referenced alleged human rights violations committed by Washington, such as the imprisonment of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange and probes against former President and 2024 candidate Donald Trump.

"We don't say to them: Why do you have a candidate being harassed in the courts? And why do you allocate billions of dollars for the war? And why don't you release Assange, who is being unjustly imprisoned?" he said.

Lopez Obrador also criticized the US for not attending to those who are dying from the fentanyl crisis and for "repressing and mistreating migrants."

Mexico harbored severe human rights violations, from the ongoing insecurity and disappearance crisis to homicides, government corruption, and persecution of the press, according to the annual report by the State Department. "There were no significant changes in the human rights situation in Mexico during the year," it said.