Amnesty slams Trump over rights abuses

Amnesty says Donald Trump has taken backward steps on human rights and is setting a dangerous precedent for other governments.

President Donald Trump's policies mark "a new era of human rights regression" in the United States and around the world, but are helping to inspire new activists, Amnesty International says.

"Trump's backward steps on human rights are setting a dangerous precedent for other governments to follow," the rights group said in an annual report.

It said Trump and other leaders - including Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Chinese President Xi Jinping - "are callously undermining the rights of millions."

"The transparently hateful move by the US government in January to ban entry to people from several Muslim-majority countries set the scene for a year in which leaders took the politics of hate to its most dangerous conclusion," said Salil Shetty, Amnesty's secretary general.

"We saw the ultimate consequence of a society encouraged to hate, scapegoat and fear minorities laid bare in the horrific military campaign of ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya people in Myanmar," Shetty said.

Shetty accused the international community of a "feeble response" to reports of severe human rights abuses in Myanmar, Iraq, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

"Governments are shamelessly turning the clock back on decades of hard-won protections," he said.

The report said the Trump administration "scored poorly on women's rights, publicly supported torture, (and) attempted to take healthcare coverage away from millions."

It also "undermined the media, equivocated on white supremacy, discriminated against transgender individuals, and is considering loosening restrictions on the export of small arms."


Share
2 min read

Published

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world