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	In 2017, the world witnessed a rollback of human rights by Amnesty International   Feb. 2018   Over the past year, leaders have pushed hate, fought against rights, ignored crimes against humanity, and blithely let inequality and suffering spin out of control. This provoked mass protests, showing that while our challenges may never be greater, the will to fight back is just as strong.   Amnesty International’s report, The State of the World’s Human Rights 2017/18, covers 159 countries and delivers the most comprehensive analysis of the state of human rights in the world today.   While the findings remain shocking, it is the events such as those highlighted in the report that galvanised people across the world to stand up in the face of adversity and make their voices heard.   In 2017, the world witnessed a rollback of human rights. Signs of a regression were everywhere. Across the world governments continued to clampdown on the rights to protest, and women’s rights took a nosedive in the USA, Russia and Poland.   From Venezuela to Tunisia, we witnessed the growth of a formidable social discontent, as people were denied access to their fundamental human rights to food, clean water, healthcare and shelter.   And from the US to the European Union and Australia, leaders of wealthy countries continued to approach the global refugee crisis with outright callousness, regarding refugees not as human beings with rights but as problems to be deflected.   In this climate, state-sponsored hate threatens to normalise discrimination against minority groups. Xenophobic slogans at a nationalist march in Warsaw, Poland and sweeping crackdowns on LGBTI communities from Chechnya to Egypt showed how the open advocacy of intolerance is increasing.   Prominent among a sea of stories that caused shock were the horrific reports of ethnic cleansing carried out by Myanmar’s military against its Rohingya population. The stories captured by our researchers were utterly heartbreaking.   “Shafi, my two-year-old son, he was hit hard with a wooden stick. One hit, and he was dead … Three of my children were killed,” said one woman, whose money, possessions – and children - were taken by soldiers.   But with few leaders willing to stand up for human rights on a global stage, crimes against humanity and war crimes committed from Myanmar to Iraq have gone ignored, making the world a more dangerous place.   Last year saw a record numbers of individuals come under attack for taking a stand against injustice. As a global organisation dedicated to fighting for human rights, we did not escape attack. Our own staff in Turkey were arrested and jailed on entirely baseless charges. While Idil Eser, Director of Amnesty Turkey, has been released, Taner Kilic the chair of Amnesty Turkey, remains in prison.   ''Imagine being a lawyer, journalist or activist, whose life is under threat for telling the truth. In 2018, we cannot take for granted that we will be free to gather together in protest or to criticize our governments. In fact, speaking out is becoming more dangerous''. - Salil Shetty, Amnesty International’s Secretary General   That is exactly what is happening right now, as authorities aggressively pursue people who have stood up for human rights. These activists are being killed in staggering numbers, with more than 312 killings recorded in 2017, up from 281 the year before.   Despite the efforts of governments to shut down NGOs, undermine the media, take away people’s right to protest and jail campaigners, people refused to be silenced. And in this climate of fear and intimidation, it is all the more vital that we continue to speak out.   * Access the State of the World’s Human Rights 2017/18, via the link below. Visit the related web page
	World Report 2018: Fighting for Rights Succeeds by Kenneth Roth Executive Director, Human Rights Watch   Jan. 18, 2018   Political leaders willing to fight for human rights principles showed that they could limit authoritarian populist agendas, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2018, reviewing events of the past year. When combined with mobilized publics and effective multilateral actors, these leaders demonstrated that the rise of anti-rights governments is not inevitable.   In the 643-page World Report, its 28th edition, Human Rights Watch reviews human rights practices in more than 90 countries. In his introductory essay, Executive Director Kenneth Roth writes that when leaders push back strongly against politicians who demonize minorities, attack human rights, and undermine democratic institutions, they can limit the advance of populists. But where mainstream politicians capitulate to a message of hate and exclusion, the authoritarian populists flourish.   “The past year showed the importance of pushing back against the threat posed by demagogues and their abusive policies,” Roth said. “As we mark the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 2018, the best way to honor its principles is to vigorously defend them against those leaders who seek political advantage by depriving marginalized groups of the rights guaranteed for all.”   Roth said demagogues have used economic dislocation and inequality caused by globalization and technological advances, the fear of cultural shifts in an increasingly mobile world, and the threat of terrorist attacks to fuel xenophobia and Islamophobia. They launched a frontal assault on the values of inclusivity, tolerance, and respect that are at the heart of human rights. These authoritarian populists seek to replace democracy – elected government limited by rights and the rule of law – with their self-serving interpretation of what the majority desires.   France represented the most prominent example of successful resistance to xenophobic populism. In Austria and the Netherlands, by contrast, leaders of center-right parties competed by adopting xenophobic, anti-immigrant, and anti-Muslim positions, thereby mainstreaming abusive populist policies.   President Emmanuel Macron took a different approach, embracing democratic principles and firmly opposing the National Front’s campaign of hatred against Muslims and immigrants. His resulting victory showed French voters reject overwhelmingly the National Front’s divisive policies. The challenge now for Macron is to govern according to the principles he preached. His first months in office showed a mixed record, both internationally and at home, with his counterterrorism policies and muted visit to China causes for concern.   The election of President Donald Trump in the United States and his anti-immigrant, racially divisive, and pro-drug-war policies were met with a broad reaffirmation of human rights and widespread resistance against such policies by popular organizations, civic groups, journalists, lawyers, judges, and even elected members of Trump’s own party.   In Central Europe, authoritarian populist governments have also encountered resistance. In Poland, large public protests and strong criticism from the European Union and Council of Europe met attempts to undermine the rule of law and judicial independence.   In Hungary, the threat of EU legal action and international condemnation complicated the government’s plans to close Central European University, a bastion of independent thought that stands in opposition to the “illiberal democracy” championed by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.   People also took to the streets to protest President Nicolás Maduro’s efforts to eviscerate Venezuela’s democracy and economy. Many Latin American countries shed their traditional reluctance to criticize a neighbor, raising the pressure for human rights reforms in Venezuela.   The Women’s March in the US morphed into a global phenomenon, with millions gathering in support of women’s rights. Even before the #MeToo movement, Canada made gender equality a central part of its aid programs, and France announced new measures to combat gender-based violence and sexual harassment. Tunisia, Jordan, and Lebanon repealed provisions allowing rapists to escape punishment by marrying their victims.   The Dutch, Belgian, and Scandinavian governments led efforts to establish an international fund to replace anticipated US funding cuts to reproductive health programs, and Sweden pursued a feminist foreign policy.   By contrast, where governments repressed domestic resistance and international concern flagged, the populists and other anti-rights forces prospered, Roth said. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan an decimated Turkey’s democratic system as the EU focused largely instead on enlisting his help to stem the flight of refugees to Europe and security cooperation.   President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi crushed public dissent in Egypt with little interference from the US or the EU, which accepted his claim that he was providing stability. In China, President Xi Jinping carried out an intense crackdown on independent voices with other nations afraid to jeopardize lucrative contracts by speaking out.   Roth warned about the retreat of governments that might champion human rights, including the US, a UK preoccupied with Brexit, and European countries grappling with the influence of xenophobic populists. Their hesitancy has left a vacuum in which mass atrocities proceeded, often unchecked, in countries such as Yemen, Syria, Burma, and South Sudan.   However, Roth noted that several small and medium-sized countries have jumped into the fray. When the major powers continued to support the abusive Saudi coalition in Yemen, where civilians pummeled by Saudi-led aerial attacks and a blockade faced cholera and acute malnutrition, the Netherlands stepped in to lead the demand for a UN investigation.   Supported by Canada, Belgium, Ireland, and Luxembourg, they forced Saudi Arabia to accept an inquiry that will increase pressure for better behavior in the conflict. The Netherlands and Norway also imposed an arms embargo on Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, respectively.   Since Russia refuses to allow the UN Security Council to act for justice in Syria, Liechtenstein built a broad coalition in December 2016 to seek a resolution in the UN General Assembly. By a vote of 105 to 15, they established a mechanism to collect evidence and build cases for prosecution, an important commitment to see justice done for war crimes in Syria.   “The central lesson of the past year is that human rights can be protected from populist challenge,” Roth said. “What’s needed is a principled defense rather than surrender, a call to action rather than a cry of despair.”   * Access the world report via the link below. Visit the related web page
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