US won't participate in human rights review by the United Nations

The U.S. will not be participating with the United Nations when it reviews its human rights record, a State Department official said.

The State Department official said participating in the review would ignore the UN Human Rights Council's “persistent failure to condemn the most egregious human rights violators," according to The Hill newspaper. 

President Donald Trump withdrew from the Human Rights Council (HRC) earlier this year. 

The official said that the U.S. would not be lectured about human rights by countries like China, Sudan or Venezuela.

A spokesperson for the HRC said they were informed about the decision by the U.S. 

“The Bureau of the Human Rights Council (its President and four Vice Presidents) will discuss this matter at its earliest convenience," the spokesperson said. "This is a matter for the 47 member states of the Human Rights Council to consider at a later stage."

Human rights groups have been critical of the U.S. decision.