"War on terror" is destroying people's lives without reducing the threat of violence, as governments, armed groups and big corporations are using fear tactics erode human rights with impunity while creating a polarised world, Amnesty International (AI) said at the launch of its latest annual report Wednesday.
"Today far too many leaders are trampling freedom and trumpeting an ever-widening range of fears: fear of being swamped by migrants; fear of “the other” and of losing one’s identity; fear of being blown up by terrorists; fear of “rogue states” with weapons of mass destruction," AI secretary general Irene Khan said and added that "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."
She claimed that "the politics of fear has been made more complex by the emergence of armed groups and big business that commit or condone human rights abuses."
World leaders promote fear "because it allows them to consolidate their own power, create false certainties and escape accountability," she argued.
The 288 page report details the state of human rights at regional and country levels.
The report found that the USA continued to maintain a dual discourse on human rights as it pursued its “war on terror”, claiming to be the leading force for the promotion of human rights and the rule of law, while simultaneously pursuing policies and practices that flouted some of the most basic principles of international law.
"In so doing, it undermined not only long-term security of which the rule of law is a central pillar, but also its own credibility on the international stage," the report read.
There report painted a brighter picture for the Latin America, which was hailed for "continuing strengthening of democratic processes and the consolidation of democratic institutions."
According to the report armed conflict, under-development, extreme poverty, widespread corruption, inequitable distribution of resources, political repression, marginalization, ethnic and civil violence, and the HIV/AIDS pandemic continued to undermine the enjoyment of human rights across Africa.
"Although armed conflicts generally were on the decrease, they still affected many countries," AI stated in the report. "As a result, several
million refugees and internally displaced people, including children and the elderly, remained without basic shelter, protection and care."
AI reported that 2006 was a year of dramatic events and much change in Asia and the Pacific where Political upheavals provided the context for accounts of fear, deprivation and discrimination. It noted with concern the unrest in Timor-Leste, Tonga and the
Solomon Islands, and the declaration of a state of emergency in the Philippines that sparked fears of increased political killings.
"In Bangladesh, politically motivated violence marred the run-up to delayed elections, and in Myanmar the authorities continued their policy of incarceration and repression of political opposition," the report read. "Sri Lankan peace talks collapsed and a ceasefire barely held; thousands of killings and mass displacement occurred through the year and in November the ceasefire was declared “defunct” by the opposition armed group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)."
Issues of statehood, security and migration continued to be major preoccupations across the Europe, according to the report. The final determination of the final status of Kosovo, resolving the status of the region’s internationally unrecognized entities, situated within the borders of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Moldova, but remaining outside these states’ de facto control, the Cyprus question and the renewed ETA violence in Spain were highlighted as pressing issues affecting the region.
"Marches, petitions, virals, blogs, t-shirts and armbands may not seem much by themselves, but by bringing people together they unleash an energy for change that should not be underestimated," Khan said. "People power will change the face of human rights in the 21st century. Hope is very much alive."
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