Amnesty International’s latest State of the World’s Human Rights report
is a reminder that 60 years after the United Nations adopted the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, people are being subjected to
torture in at least 81 countries, are denied fair trials in 54
countries and not allowed to speak freely in at least 77 countries.
The grand promises that are routinely made to respect human rights are
not being backed by performance. The report has rightly drawn attention
to the “impotence of Western governments and the ambivalence or
reluctance of emerging powers to tackle some of the world’s worst human
rights crises.” Indeed, torture and denial of the rights of the
individual has increased in several developed countries all in the name
of fighting terrorism. What is more, little is being done by the world
even to speak up against denial of rights in countries out of fear of
jeopardising economic interests and bilateral relations.
The report asks emerging powers like Brazil, India and South Africa
what leadership the world can expect from them in the fight to protect
the human rights of the individual. Will these powers allow western
countries to continue to provide wishy-washy leadership to the
international human rights movement or are they willing to give the
movement substantial content through action? Can they move beyond the
western approach of hectoring to providing leadership through example?
India gets a rap on the knuckles for its performance on human rights.
The Amnesty report draws attention to police complicity in the violence
unleashed on villagers at Nandigram. It describes in some detail the
continuing marginalisation of over 300 million people in the country.
The report also points to the continuing disregard for human rights in
conflict areas, where hundreds are “disappearing”, dying in police
custody and encounters.
Amnesty’s observations are often dismissed in India as biased. Instead,
can India accept the truth in some of its observations, reflect and
move to act on its shortcomings? India is a liberal democracy,
committed to protecting the rights of the individual. It has an
independent judiciary and a free, vibrant media. It should be leading
the international community in protecting human rights, not recoiling
defensively when criticised.
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