HRW claims the need to support “protest movements” against “abusive governments” to protect human rights

Urges governments in Latin America to address “chronic problems” such as poverty, corruption and insecurity

12 Jan. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) has vindicated this Thursday the need for the international community to support “protest movements” to face “abusive governments”, such as those of Sudan or Burma, and thus guarantee the protection of Human Rights. Humans.

In its 2023 World Report, HRW has urged governments that respect human rights to seize the “opportunity and act responsibly” to “pay political attention to civil society groups that challenge” these types of regimes.

“In Sudan, policymakers from the US, UN, EU and regional partners who engage with the country’s military leadership must prioritize protest groups’ and victims’ demands for justice, as well as the end to impunity for those in command positions,” said the organization’s acting executive director, Tirana Hassan.

For this reason, it has called on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), among other organizations, to “intensify the pressure on the Burma junta, aligning itself with international efforts to cut off the sources of foreign currency for the military.”

In this sense, he recalled that the successive Human Rights crises registered throughout 2022, ranging from Ukraine to China and Afghanistan, “have left behind a sea of ​​human suffering, but have also opened up new avenues for leadership “in this matter.

The World Report, which examines the situation of Human Rights in almost a hundred countries, points out that “as a shift in power is observed around the world, protecting and strengthening the global system of rights from the constant efforts of leaders abusive groups seeking to topple them, requires renewed commitments from all governments, which transcends current political alliances.

“Last year it was demonstrated that all governments have a responsibility to protect Human Rights throughout the world”, Hassan stated before stressing that “in a context of changing power, there is more space, not less, for States to stand up for these rights as new coalitions and leadership voices emerge.”

Thus, he has pointed out that the Russian invasion of Ukraine captured the world’s attention and activated the entire arsenal of the Human Rights system”. “The United Nations Human Rights Council opened an investigation into the abuses and appointed an expert to supervise its situation inside Russia. The International Criminal Court opened an investigation following referrals from a record number of tribunal member countries,” he said.

However, he has stressed that those governments that are providing unprecedented consolidated support to Ukraine “should ask themselves what the situation would be if they had held Putin accountable in 2014” and has stressed that this is the type of actions that are now needed in Ethiopia.

In addition, it has warned that the Chinese government has not “accounted for the mass detention, torture and forced labor to which it subjects nearly a million Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in the Xinjiang region.”

“Autocrats rely on the appearance that their heavy-handed tactics are necessary for stability, but as courageous protesters around the world demonstrate time and time again, repression is no shortcut to stability,” he said.

CLIMATE CHANGE

On the other hand, he has warned that it is necessary to take measures to face the “existential threat of climate change”, an issue that affects countries ranging from Pakistan to Nigeria, passing through Australia.

“Every corner of the world is facing an uninterrupted cycle of catastrophic floods, massive wildfires and man-made droughts. These catastrophes illustrate the cost of inaction, with the most vulnerable paying the highest price,” he lamented. .

That is why “rulers have a legal and moral obligation to regulate industries, such as fossil fuels and logging, whose business models are incompatible with the protection of fundamental rights,” he said.

To do this, it has requested help for “frontline communities and environmental defenders”, with the ultimate goal of “protecting essential ecosystems”.

LATIN AMERICAN QUESTION

On the situation in Latin America, Hassan has called on the governments of the region to “address chronic problems in the field of Human Rights, such as poverty, inequality and insecurity”, in addition to “environmental degradation”.

“The chronic failures to address these problems have been used by some politicians to justify policies that restrict or violate Human Rights and have driven millions of people in the region to leave their homes in search of safety and opportunities abroad,” he said. .

During 2022, new presidents were elected or took office in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica and Honduras. HRW has warned that some elections were held in “a context of political violence” and attacks “on the independence of electoral institutions.” Nine other countries in the region, including Argentina, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico and Venezuela, are scheduled to hold presidential elections in 2023 or 2024.

“The lack of effective responses to corruption, violence and poverty has been used as a pretext by politicians who promise solutions that sound simple but are often abusive,” said Tamara Taraciuk Broner, acting director for the Americas at HRW.

In Latin America, almost a third of the population lives in poverty, and more than a tenth in extreme poverty. More than half of the region’s total income goes to the richest 20 percent, and structural racism is still present, according to the NGO.

In this sense, he has warned that deforestation and fires are taking the Amazon rainforest to “a tipping point from which it will not be able to recover” and has criticized the environmental policies of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.

The NGO has denounced that illegal mining is causing “serious damage to the environment and indigenous communities” in Venezuela and has attacked rampant illegal deforestation, which “is devastating the region’s biodiversity and the livelihoods of those who live in the forests”.

VIOLENCE

In relation to the high levels of violence in the region, HRW has assured that these “continue to be worrisome” given that it is the region in the world with the highest annual homicide rate, with an average of 21 per 100,000 inhabitants.

“Latin American leaders should adopt sustainable security policies that respect human rights. Among other measures, this requires prioritizing criminal proceedings against leaders of criminal groups and preventing the recruitment of young people by improving access to education, work and other opportunities “, has held.

Millions of people have migrated in Latin America escaping violence, repression and poverty. That includes more than 7.1 million Venezuelans who have fled their country since 2014, as well as hundreds of thousands who flee each year from Central America, Mexico, Haiti, Cuba, and other countries.

The NGO has lamented that many “are denied the possibility of seeking international protection or face obstacles on their way, including restrictions on visas and returns at the borders.”