Amnesty International Report | Beware of the dangerous decline in rights

Amnesty International is alarmed, in its most recent annual report, by the rise of authoritarianism across the planet and the “terrifying” consequences for civilians of the “virtual collapse” of international law.

Authoritarianism in the spotlight

The human rights organization notes that the number of people living in democratic countries continues to decline and has returned in 2023 to the level where it was in the mid-1980s, before the end of the Cold War. The hope of openness aroused a few years later by the collapse of the Berlin Wall “is almost nothing more than a memory”, warns the secretary general of Amnesty International, Agnès Callamard, who is concerned about the setbacks of freedom of expression and association and attacks on gender equality seen “from north to south and east to west”.

“Optional” protection

The step backwards seems even more considerable, notes M^me Callamard, considering the ineffectiveness in 2023 of the institutions set up in the wake of the Second World War to ensure respect for international law. Russia, which has a veto in the United Nations Security Council, has increased war crimes in Ukraine by behaving as if the protection of civilians was “optional”. China, also holding a veto, supported Moscow without batting an eyelid as well as the Burmese regime, responsible for the death of more than 1,000 civilians, while remaining silent about its own abuses against the Muslim population of Xinjiang.

” Two weights, two measures “

According to Amnesty International, the United States and several European countries which present themselves as defenders of international law have undermined its credibility by refusing to criticize the scale of the offensive carried out by Israel in the Gaza Strip in response to “monstrous crimes” of Hamas on October 7. Washington, which continued to supply arms to Tel Aviv while blocking several calls for a ceasefire at the United Nations level, followed a policy of reprehensible “double standards”, judge Agnès Callamard. She calls for a review of the veto power of members of the Security Council.

Women and minorities under pressure

The weakening of legal protection mechanisms goes hand in hand with a decline in the rights of women and sexual minorities, warns Amnesty International. The organization cites in particular the situation in Afghanistan, where the return to power of the Taliban was accompanied by a series of regressive measures aimed in particular at preventing the education of girls beyond the primary level. In Iran, the authorities have intensified their efforts to impose the wearing of the veil and stifle a major protest movement. Members of the LGBTQ community have seen gains in a few countries, but attacks against them have intensified in several others. More than sixty countries today have laws criminalizing homosexuality.

Economies in crisis

Armed conflicts, global warming and the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic have fueled economic crises that have serious consequences. The United Nations warned in April 2023 that only 10% of the 140 sustainable development targets set for 2030 appeared on track to be achieved. The situation is complicated by the explosion in the debt levels of many countries. The World Bank clarified at the end of the year that 60% of the poorest states are choked by debt payments and lack funds to meet the needs of their populations.

Technological risks

Added to these multiple difficulties is the threat posed by new technologies which are likely to lead to abuse, due to lack of appropriate supervision. Amnesty International is particularly alarmed by the increasingly frequent use of facial recognition for crowd control and the risks of disinformation linked to the emergence of powerful generative artificial intelligence tools. The well-documented use by several states of spyware is another subject of concern, notes Agnès Callamard, who calls for the end of the “digital Wild West”.