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Amnesty Report Decries "Politics of Fear"
By Eli Clifton
Inter Press Service
Wednesday 23 May 2007
Washington - The "politics of fear" are polarising the world and
leading to an erosion of human rights, according to Amnesty International's
annual report released Wednesday.
The report also offers a stinging rebuke to the human rights policy of the
United States both at home and abroad.
"Fear thrives in myopic and cowardly leadership. There are indeed many
real causes of fear but the approach being taken by many world leaders is short-sighted,
promulgating policies and strategies that erode the rule of law and human rights,
increase inequalities, feed racism and xenophobia, divide and damage communities,
and sow the seeds for violence and more conflict," the report says.
Amnesty International, a global human rights organisation, points to Australian
Prime Minister John Howard, U.S. President George W. Bush, Sudan's President
Omar al-Bashir and Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe as all playing on fear
among their supporters to help them push their own political agendas and, in
many cases, expand and strengthen their political power.
"Through short-sighted, fear-mongering and divisive policies, governments
are undermining the rule of law and human rights, feeding racisms and xenophobia,
dividing communities, intensifying inequalities and sowing the seeds for more
violence and conflict," said Irene Khan, secretary general of Amnesty International.
In both developed and emerging economies, the fear of marginalisation and "being
invaded by the poor" has led to increasingly tough measures against immigrants,
in violation of international human rights.
In Western Europe, fear of uncontrolled migration has been used to justify
strict laws against asylum-seekers and refugees and migrant workers continue
to be discriminated against around the world, from South Korea to the Dominican
Republic, says Amnesty.
Violence between Muslims and non-Muslims, including incidents of Islamophobia
and anti-Semitism, increased over the past year, largely fueled by discriminatory
counter-terrorism strategies in Western countries. "Increasing polarisation
has strengthened the hands of extremists at both ends of the spectrum, reducing
the space for tolerance and dissent," the report says.
The United States and Russia were cited as two of the biggest abusers of freedom
of expression, with the fear of dissent used to justify crackdowns on free speech
and due process.
Of particular concern was the U.S.-run prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
where in 2006, 200 detainees were force-fed to end a hunger strike and three
men were reported to have committed suicide, which the U.S. taskforce commander
at Guantanamo described as "asymmetrical warfare".
Amnesty also cited the use of CIA "black sites" - secret prisons
- forced renditions and torture as contraventions of international and U.S.
laws.
In Russia, the authoritarian crackdown on journalists has been accompanied
by a controversial law to regulate the funding and activities of various NGOs.
When Amnesty International, along with several other international NGOs met
with Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding the new law, he responded, "We
did not pass this law to have it repealed," reports Amnesty.
"Increasing polarisation and heightened fears about national security
reduced the space for tolerance and dissent. Around the world, from Iran to
Zimbabwe, many independent voices on human rights were silenced in 2006,"
said Khan.
The report finds that freedom for women has suffered from the "war on
terror", which has led to a general backlash against human rights and a
backtracking in women's rights resulting from the environment of fear and religious
fundamentalism.
Amnesty makes a specific point of singling out the Bush administration's role
in using the "war on terror" to justify widespread human rights abuses
and "treat(ing) the world as one big battlefield".
"The U.S. administration remains deaf to the worldwide calls for closing
down Guantanamo. It is unrepentant about the global web of abuse it has spun
in the name of counter-terrorism. It is oblivious to the distress of thousands
of detainees and their families, the damage to the rule of international law
and human rights, and the destruction of its own moral authority, which has
plummeted to an all-time low around the world while the levels of insecurity
remain as high as ever," says the report.
Hopeful news is emerging, says Amnesty, evidenced by European demands for transparency
and accountability in renditions, U.N. agreement to develop a treaty to control
conventional arms and new leadership in a range of countries.
"A new (U.S.) Congress could take the lead in setting the trend, restoring
respect for human rights at home and abroad," said Khan. "Just as
global warming requires global action based on international cooperation, the
human rights meltdown can only be tackled through global solidarity and respect
for international law."
"The global mood, the result of such unending tragedies as the conflict
in Iraq, the repression of freedoms in China and the humanitarian crisis in
Sudan, is bleak at best," said Amnesty International's executive director,
Larry Cox.
"For many victims, advocates and human rights defenders, the United States
has always been a beacon of hope and a leader in justice," he said. "Now
is not the time for a few improvements at home but for colossal actions that
carry the world forward in the name of human rights."
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