Russia has condemned the US for its human rights record and accused it of double standards.
At a presentation by the foreign ministry’s human rights envoy, the ministry criticised the continued operation of Guantanamo Bay and the use of the death penalty by the US.
The presentation also claimed that the US only took up human rights issues in order to interfere in the affairs of sovereign states.
"The U.S. claim on the role of absolute leader in the sphere of human rights is unsustainable and is not confirmed by practical realities," Itar-Tass quoted the envoy, Konstantin Dolgov, as saying to the Duma.
"(Russian authorities) must defend against policies being carried out by the United States directed at using the concept of rights as an instrument of pressure and as a basis for intervention in the internal affairs of sovereign governments."
The US Congress is currently considering a law which could see action taken against Russia, for human rights abuses.
