The News Mexico
March 6, 2002

The president of the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) on Tuesday said he was "offended" by a U.S. State Department report that evaluated Mexico's human rights record.

Jose Luis Soberanes said Mexico must reject any U.S. efforts at getting involved in areas that are exclusively its own competence.

On Monday, the State Department made public its annual Human Rights Report, in which it described Mexico as having had "limited success" in defending human rights. The report noted that impunity, corruption, discrimination, extra-judicial killings and severe income inequality continue to exist in Mexico.

But Soberanes said it was intolerable the U.S. should grade Mexico in human rights.

Mexico wants to improve its rights record "although we know we still have a lot to do," Soberanes said after presenting his own annual human rights report to the Supreme Court.

He added some government officials and institutions have not made human rights standards a priority and has discussed this concern with federal legislators and President Vicente Fox.