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Russian foreign ministry calls on US to use its own advice on how to respect human rights

The ministry noted that for decades the United States has been teaching other nations what to do in case of unrest

MOSCOW, June 7. /TASS/. Moscow calls on Washington to make use of its own advice on how to respect human right to quiet the protests following the death of George Floyd, an African American man, the Russian foreign ministry said on Sunday.

The ministry said in a post on its Facebook account that for decades the United States has been teaching other nations what to do in case of unrest. As an example, the ministry cited a number of US officials who condemned the authorities of other countries "with gusto and absolute self-righteousness." Among them were President Barack Obama’s calls on Tunisian, Bahraini, Libyan and Yemeni authorities over rallies in these countries, allegations about abuse of power in Armenia, Iran, Turkey, and Russia in stopping mass disorders, as well as commentaries concerning Hong Kong, Venezuela, etc.

"How absurd these calls look today on the backdrop of the current situation in the United States. The National Guard is trying to quell the rallies by force. People have been killed and injured. More than 9,000 have been detained," the ministry pointed out. "It looks like in a situation like this the best thing Washington can do is to refresh in memory its own advice on how to respect human rights and finally use them in practice inside the country and begin a peaceful, civilized dialogue with the protesters," the ministry stressed.

Widespread unrest has engulfed many US states over the death of an African-American Minneapolis man named George Floyd, who died after a police officer kneeled on his neck and choked him to death during his arrest. On May 26, all officers involved in the deadly arrest were fired. On May 29, the policeman in question, Derek Chauvin, was arrested on third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter charges. However, on June 3, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison upped the charge against Chauvin to second-degree murder. The three other officers involved in the fatal incident were arrested as well and are now facing charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder. To counter the riots, local law enforcement is often supported by the National Guard. So far, almost 40 cities, including New York, have enacted a curfew.