On torture, beatings and arbitrary arrests dokkladyvaet new report Amnesty International, as, indeed, every year. But there is hope: through the Internet, these crimes finally became known to the world.
On the photos published on the Internet can be seen, as in Egypt police car rushes at high speed through the crowds, beating people. Despite the poor quality of such survey are shocking. But they clearly demonstiruyut as supporters of former dictator Hosni Mubarak to dispense with the demonstrators. Without the Internet it would remain hidden from the eyes of world public opinion.
Story of a young Tunisian from Sidi Bouzid, who set fire to himself in protest against the regime of Ben Ali in December 2010, also demonstrates the power of the Internet. The news of this event spread like lightning through Twitter. Thousands of users identified the status of their messages Sidibouzid (Sidi Bouzid). A little later, the perturbed crowd took to the streets to overthrow the hated dictator.
“2010 may go down in history as the year of a new era of human rights”, – says Salil Shetty, the international secretary general of Amnesty International in the preface to a new annual report. – This was reflected most in the North African countries such as Libya, Tunisia and Egypt. Since the use of new media like the Internet, will have an increasing pressure on vlastpriderzhaschih the issue of human rights. ”
Amnesty International: Freedom through social networks
Freedom of speech is still a luxury
And not only in Arab countries, the website Wikileaks has exposed a network of hundreds of thousands of documents, including reports of senior military officials, describing the situation in Afghanistan and Iraq. These documents showed on human rights violations, which, however, hides the governments of Afghanistan, the U.S. and NATO denied “- says Shetty. At the same time he warns that new technology hidden in both new opportunities and risks. Cause for concern was the statement by the Taliban on the audit reports on the war in Afghanistan. “Everyone there called Afghans, expressing sympathy to the western powers will be punished” – followed a threat. Since then, Wikileaks blacked out every name in the documents.
In general, Amnesty International documented in the annual report of restriction of freedom of speech in 89 states. “Freedom of speech is still a luxury,” – says Wolfgang Grents, Acting Secretary General of Amnesty International in Germany. In 98 countries, according to the organization, place of torture and beatings. Simultaneously, two-thirds of people in these countries denied a fair trial.
China raises pressure on activists
Particular attention is a report on China. Thus, the case of Ai Weiwei shows still difficult situation of human rights in the country. World famous artist was arrested in April at the Beijing airport. Since that time it is not known. “If it is possible just to disappear a celebrity, then it is difficult to imagine what happens to the lesser-known people,” wrote the German magazine Stern.
More than 100 activists have been arrested or placed under house arrest in China from February 19, according to Amnesty International. Human rights activists, environmentalists, writers and freedom-loving citizens are increasingly deprived of the right to speak about abuses in China. Particularly strict government control over the Internet: the Chinese have no input into these social networking sites like Facebook.
Violations of human rights in Europe
Critics have also undergone Europe. “Unbearable” called an attempt to protect against the Arab world, Secretary General of Amnesty International, Heinz Pattseltom. With refugees from Libya or Tunisia, costing as a “scum.” Italy, according to the report, refused to refugees in the asylum procedure. They do not care whether they are political refugees, and whether they threaten the homeland political persecution and torture. Thus, Italy had violated international refugee law. “In the Mediterranean should not be a space free of human rights”, – considers Grents.
He also blames the German Federal Government of double standards in dealings with the refugees. Since simply condemn violations of human rights in the Arab world is not enough. Germany must, like other European nations to accept refugees from the Arab world. “Enhanced control of borders – this is not the answer”, – considers Grents.
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