Amnesty: Rights took back seat in EU amid refugee crisis

The Amnesty International’s annual report says Ireland needs to make progress on issues including access to abortion, poor conditions in direct provision centres and the protection of economic, social and cultural rights.

“That Europe, which is the richest bloc in the world, is not able to take care of the basic rights of some of the most persecuted people in the world is shameful”, Shetty said.

“Instead of recognizing the crucial role these people play in society, many governments have deliberately set out to strangle criticism in their country. The federal government must address this when it’s negotiating with Ankara”, she said.

China is criticised for introducing legislation limiting human rights under the guise of national security, and of carrying out a massive nationwide crackdown on human rights lawyers, while other activists continued to be harassed and intimidated. “There’s no doubt that the downgrading of human rights by this Government is a gift to dictators the world over and fatally undermines our ability to call on other countries to uphold rights and laws”.

Amnesty also blames the European Union for failing to find a humane response to the refugee crisis.

Its UK chapter director said that the country is “setting a unsafe precedent” by replacing it with the British Bill of Rights, The Guardian reported.

It mentioned numerous concerns with United Kingdom surveillance measures and planned measures including the Investigatory Powers Bill, stating: “NGOs raised concerns that the Bill did not contain adequate human rights protections and provided for practices that 386 Amnesty International Report 2015/16 threaten human rights”.

Citing that the government had doubled its funding for global human rights and democracy projects, it said, “human rights, democratic values and strengthening the rules-based worldwide system are vital and integral parts of the FCO’s (Foerign and Commonwealth Office) work”, reads the report.

“UN member states have an historic opportunity this year to reinvigorate the organization by supporting a strong candidate for Secretary General with the commitment, personal fortitude and vision needed to push back against any states bent on undermining human rights at home and internationally”, said Salil Shetty.

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

“The world today is facing many challenges which, at their source, have been created or prolonged by governments who have played politics with people’s lives”.

“Human rights are a necessity, not an accessory… the stakes for humankind have never been higher”.