Amnesty says human rights have been eclipsed by “war on terror”

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Amnesty says human rights have been eclipsed by “war on terror”

4 K7 O5 |8 E/ R* a" wThe “war on terror” of the United States and the United Kingdom has diverted the world's attention from human rights issues elsewhere, says Amnesty International's 2006 annual report.

The report on the state of the world's human rights describes, over more than 300 pages, human rights violations in 150 countries. These violations range from violence against women and human trafficking through to famine and displacement resulting from war or from countries' internal political agendas (such as Zimbabwe).
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The countries most in crisis—yet largely ignored by the developed world—are the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nepal, Sudan, Colombia, and Somalia, said a spokesperson from Amnesty International.

6 ^& }6 O# B$ t$ f) f' f& h. F7 J! yThe organisation's secretary general, Irene Khan, was critical of governments that had, she said, “sacrificed principles in the name of the `war on terror' and turned a blind eye to massive human rights violations.”

As a result, she said, “the world has paid a heavy price, in terms of erosion of fundamental principles and in the enormous damage done to the lives and livelihoods of ordinary people.”
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( d$ S1 Z) }* p4 a- b& W& Z+ e& AIn particular she criticised the measures taken by the US and the UK in their “war on terror,” such as the detention of some 500 prisoners without charge or trial in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba and the UK's controversial violation of human rights in detaining suspected international terrorists on the basis of secret intelligence alone.

5 `1 h8 u& Y# W9 l$ ^8 f“Double speak and double standards by powerful governments are dangerous, because they weaken the ability of the international community to address human rights problems such as those in Darfur, Chechnya, Colombia, Afghanistan, Iran, Uzbekistan, and North Korea,” said Ms Khan. “They allow perpetrators in these and other countries to operate with impunity.”
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9 j+ f& q$ u% C1 R- B& ?0 \' d) E* K& kIn her foreword to the report Ms Khan says: “The hypocrisy of the G8 was particularly marked in 2005. The G8 governments claimed to put eradication of poverty in Africa high on their agenda, while continuing to be major suppliers of arms to African governments.”
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7 S7 J" s5 [$ I7 X" b+ GThe report highlights the implications to health of governments' failure to tackle human rights issues. It criticises the lack of progress in implementing the United Nations' millennium development goals and draws attention to the millions of people with HIV or AIDS who are unable to get treatment. During 2005 less than 15% of those needing antiretroviral treatment in the developing world actually got it, says the report.