Mexico on US allegations of human rights violations: "they shouldn't be taken seriously"

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has rejected as "falsehood" the US government report accusing his administration of human rights violations.

"The US government's sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines and the ongoing political persecution of WikiLeaks editor Julian Assange demonstrate that the US State Department's allegations of human rights abuses in Mexico should not be taken seriously."

The State Department released its annual report on "Human Rights Practices" on Monday.

The publication criticized the Lopez Obrador administration's treatment of journalists and said that in Mexico "impunity and extremely low prosecution rates remain a problem for all crimes, including human rights abuses and corruption ".

In a scathing rebuke broadcast during his daily news conference, Lopez Obrador described the allegations as politically motivated and said America's obvious double standards mean the report "shouldn't be taken seriously."

"Let's see, human rights? Why don't you release Assange?" he asked, referring to the jailed WikiLeaks editor who faces potential extradition to the US on espionage charges after revealing war crimes committed by US forces at the abroad. "If you talk about journalism and freedom, then why are you holding Assange?"