Human Rights Deteriorated Globally in 2015: AI

Amnesty International says the global situation for human rights deteriorated in 2015, with the systems designed to protect basic rights themselves under attack by governments.

In the group’s annual report released Feb 24, researchers highlighted the situation in Syria as the world’s most urgent crisis, particularly for refugees.

“ We documented cases of airstrikes against schools, against hospitals and against civilian homes. Russia and Syria are targeting civilians and civilian objects, and that most definitely is a war crime,” said Tirana Hassan, Amnesty’s crisis response director.

Global deterioration

While Syria is at the forefront of the world’s conflicts, Amnesty Secretary General SalilShetty said there is a broader trend of deteriorating human rights.

Shetty warned that the systems designed to protect human rights are under attack.

“Countries that have signed up to the refugee convention are shamelessly flouting it in the face of millions fleeing war and persecution," he said. "Many African countries have clubbed together, threatening to walk out of the International Criminal Court. At the regional level, the European Human Rights regime is under threat.”

Shetty said they've detected an "insidious and creeping attempt to dismantle" the seven-decade old system to protect human rights worldwide. Basic rights are in danger of being trampled by governments locked in battles with terrorist groups, he warned.

"The actions of these groups cannot be used as justification for any government to violate human rights or international law for short term gain," he said.

Even in countries usually supportive of human rights, citizens should not take their right to privacy, free speech of free assembly for granted.

"They are all up for grabs," Shetty said.

John Dalhuisen, who is Amnesty's Europe and Central Asia, noted that France's response to the Paris massacre in November was "repressive counter-terrorism and intrusive surveillance methods."

There is a "preponderance of leaders who consider the cost of respecting human rights outweigh the benefits," Dalhuisen said.

The Amnesty report highlights some successes in 2015, including the release of three Al Jazeera journalists detained in Egypt and the opening of an International Criminal Court investigation into the situation in the West Bank and Gaza.

Their report contains some alarming arithmetic:

• At least 113 countries arbitrarily restricted freedom of expression and the press
• More than 60 million people were misplaced from their homes worldwide, many had been displaced for several years or longer.
• 30 or more countries illegally forced refugees to return to places where they would be in danger
• Armed groups committed human rights abuses in at least 36 countries.
• 61 or more countries locked up prisoners of conscience.
• 122 or more countries tortured people.
• War crimes or other violations of the "laws of war" were carried out in at least 19 countries.
• At least 55 percent of countries conducted unfair trials.

BANGLADESH SCENARIO DANGEROUS

Bangladesh has been taken to task by Amnesty International for becoming increasingly dangerous for those speaking their minds.

“Bangladesh became increasingly dangerous for those speaking their own minds, with a pattern of repression of freedom of expression that included the killing of several secularist bloggers and publishers,” said Amnesty's latest global report.

The country's independent media outlets critical of the authorities came under severe pressure and freedom of expression was restricted, it added.

According to the report, the government in October last year warned business enterprises that they would be penalised if they advertised in ProthomAlo and The Daily Star, two leading newspapers known for their critical stance.

A parliamentary standing committee in November recommended that the anti-corruption NGO Transparency International should be deregistered in Bangladesh for criticising parliament, said Amnesty.

The rights watchdog said the authorities blocked social media messaging and other communications applications that month, in what constituted restrictions on freedom of expression.

The report said bloggers expressing secular views were attacked, reportedly by Islamist groups. At least nine secularist bloggers and publishers were attacked, five of whom died from their injuries.

“Government authorities, including the prime minister, accused the bloggers and publishers of offending religious feelings in their writings.”

Amnesty pointed out violation of human rights through enforced disappearances, torture and other ill-treatment and violence against women.

Mentioning that over 40 people were subjected to enforced disappearance, the report said plainclothes members of security forces arrested dozens of people and later denied knowledge of their whereabouts.

Citing a survey of human rights organisation Ain o Salish Kendra, Amnesty put the number of incidents of enforced disappearance at 43, including two women, between January and September.

Of the 43, six were later found dead, four released after abduction, and five found in police custody. The fate and whereabouts of the 28 others was unknown.

Trials continued against three Rapid Action Battalion officials charged with abduction and killing of seven people in April 2014, said the report adding, “No members of security forces or officials implicated in other cases of enforced disappearance were brought to justice.”

Amnesty found there had been widespread torture and other ill-treatment in police custody in Bangladesh and said the torture complaints were rarely investigated.

The report stated the issue of the murders of foreign nationals and the anti-government movement by the BNP that saw many buses and other vehicles attacked with petrol bombs.

“Dozens of passengers were killed and scores more injured. No one directly involved in the attacks was brought to justice,” it said.

The rights watchdog voiced concern over violence against women and girls as the organisation, citing Bangladesh National Women Lawyers Association, said over 240 complaints of rape were reported in the media between January and May.

“Human rights groups said while reported incidents of rape had risen in recent years, the conviction rate was extremely low, mainly due to the lack of timely and effective investigations.”

Mentioning the gruesome killing of Samiul Islam Rajon of Sylhet, the report said at least 198 people were sentenced to death, including six for killing Rajon.

Amnesty, like in its previous reports, criticised the proceedings of International Crimes Tribunal saying the proceedings were marked with severe irregularities and violations of the right to a fair trial.