North Korea has condemned a draft resolution submitted by the European Union to the United Nations on the human rights situation in the country, calling it a politically motivated provocation. In a statement carried by the state news agency KCNA, North Korea’s mission to the UN accused the EU of distorting the human rights situation and policy in the country. Pyongyang called the initiative a “farce” and said that human rights are not a monopoly of the West.

In its response, North Korea hit back at EU criticism by citing protests and police intervention in European cities, including Paris and Brussels, where the union is headquartered. “The EU would do well to mind its own business instead of exaggerating non-existent human rights problems,” the North Korean mission said in a statement, according to KCNA. The draft resolution is expected to be adopted by the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly in November and then go to the plenary session for final approval.

Pyongyang has been criticized for years by the United Nations and other organizations for serious human rights violations. Accusations include the existence of detention camps, restrictions on freedom of expression and a lack of free access to information. The UN General Assembly has adopted resolutions condemning human rights abuses in North Korea every year since 2005.