In its annual report for 2022, rights group Amnesty International criticises the West for double standards regarding human rights abuses around the world. Amnesty underlines the silence of western governments on Saudi Arabia's rights record, widespread repression in Egypt, and Israel's treatment of Palestinians.
"The West's formidable response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine underscored double standards, exposing in comparison how inconsequential their reactions have been to so many other violations of the UN Charter," Amnesty Secretary-General Agnès Callamard said during the presentation of the report in Paris.
The 411-page document points out that many countries imposed sanctions on Moscow and opened their borders to Ukrainian refugees after the invasion, while the International Criminal Court launched an investigation into war crimes in Ukraine.
But Amnesty says that the conflict had highlighted shortcomings in responding to abuses in other parts of the world. The rights group criticises, for example, the West's "deafening silence on Saudi Arabia's human rights record, inaction on Egypt and the refusal to confront Israel's system of apartheid against Palestinians."
Amnesty, fellow rights watchdog Human Rights Watch, and a UN special rapporteur have concluded that Israel's treatment of Palestinians amounts to policies of apartheid, which the Israeli state denies.
In Saudi Arabia, human rights activists continued to languish in prison, people were jailed for their opinions after "grossly unfair trials," and migrants died in custody. In Egypt, thousands of human rights defenders, journalists, protesters, and alleged dissidents lingered behind bars, and "torture remained rampant."
Amnesty stressed the failure of global institutions "to respond adequately to conflicts killing thousands of people, including in Ethiopia, Myanmar, and Yemen."
The war in Ukraine diverted resources and attention away from the climate crisis, other long-standing conflicts, and human suffering around the world.
Amnesty said that there was no evidence in 2022 that the international response to the Ukraine crisis would become a blueprint for consistent and coherent responses to conflicts and crises.
New blood
Meanwhile, Amnesty's sister organisation Human Rights Watch announced that it has appointed a new Executive Director. On 27 March, Tirana Hassan took over the function from Kenneth Roth, who had been at the helm of the New York-based organisation since 1993.
"I am honoured to lead this exceptional organisation at a time when defending human rights is more urgent than ever," she said in a statement.
Hassan is the first woman to hold the position. She has worked as a human rights lawyer and investigator, and has documented numerous violations in crises and conflicts around the world.
She was born in Singapore to a Pakistani father and a Sri Lankan and Chinese mother, and grew up in Australia. She began her career as a social worker and spent many years working with women and children in conflict and crisis situations.
She joined Human Rights Watch in 2010, left for a time to work with Amnesty International, and returned to HRW as Program Director in 2020.
Hassan's priorities include using all possible levers to push governments to respect their legal obligations to victims everywhere in the world.
She has been responsible for protecting children and victims of sexual and gender-based violence in conflict zones, as well as responding to natural disasters in Asia and Africa.
Kenneth Roth, the outgoing executive director, praised Hassan's investigative experience, strategic creativity, and deep commitment to human rights principles. Hassan said she is honored to lead the organisation at a time when defending human rights is more urgent than ever.
(With news agencies)
