World Sitting On A Powder Keg – Amnesty International
June 2, 2009 by admin
Filed under Stories Of Interest
The world is sitting on a “powder keg” of social unrest, which risks exploding as human rights are eroded by the global economic slowdown, Amnesty International warned.
But its annual report — detailing abuses from China to Guantanamo Bay and from Sri Lanka to the ex-Soviet Union — said the global meltdown also offers a chance to rebuild an economic framework putting human rights at its heart.
“There are growing signs of political unrest and violence, adding to the global insecurity that already exists because of deadly conflicts which the international community seems unable or unwilling to resolve.
“In other words: we are sitting on a powder keg of inequality, injustice and insecurity, and it is about to explode,” said Amnesty chief Irene Khan.
The 400-page Amnesty Report gives an overview of abuse around the world, including well-publicised human rights hotspots such as Myanmar, Sudan’s Darfur or the Palestinian territories.
In Asia, Amnesty noted the “magnificence” of the Beijing Olympic Games, but lamented that the run-up to them was “marred by increased repression throughout the country as authorities tightened control over human rights defenders, religious practitioners, ethnic minorities, lawyers and journalists.”
In Africa there was “state-sponsored political violence” in Zimbabwe, while war-torn areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) saw “numerous human rights abuses… committed by all the parties to the conflict.”
The election of US President Barack Obama raised hopes for progress on closing down the Guantanamo Bay prison camp, but even after only a few months “the record of the new administration has been mixed,” Amnesty said.
“Early promise and initial important steps to redress violations have been followed by limited action towards ensuring detentions are brought into line with the USA’s international obligations, and a lack of accountability and remedy for past human rights violations remains entrenched,” it added.
