Amnesty International Finds Human Rights Deteriorating Around The World

Amnesty International released its annual report Thursday, highlighting a worsening of human rights worldwide.

The report covering 159 countries claims that increasingly world leaders are "undermining the rights of millions," either by turning a blind eye to violations of human rights or by perpetrating them.

Amnesty cites Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte whose anti-drug campaign has left thousands of people dead; Russian President Vladimir Putin whose government has tried anti-corruption protestors on "politically motivated charges;" and President Xi Jinping of China where Nobel Laureate Liu Xiaobo died in custody, Internet controls were strengthened, and "repression" conducted under 'counter-terrorism' campaigns remained "particularly severe" against the Uighur minority and Tibetans.

Amnesty decried a lack of leadership on human rights, pointing to the "feeble response" to war crimes and crimes against humanity from Syria to South Sudan.

It warned that the U.S. had taken "a step backward," saying that the Trump administration's early attempts in 2017 to ban all citizens of several Muslim majority countries was "transparently hateful," and "set a dangerous precedent" for other governments to follow.

Amnesty Senior Director for Global Operations Minar Pimple, however, noted that populism and the "politics of demonization" is a trend that began before Trump took office. Brexit and Turkey's crackdown on dissent preceded the 2016 U.S. election.

Across Europe, countries saw a gathering storm against refugees, migrants, and religious minorities and the use of counterterrorism measures "disproportionately restricting" rights in the name of security. - Read More

Amnesty International Finds Human Rights Deteriorating Around The World