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Amnesty International Report 2016/17 Amnesty International AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL REPORT 2016/17 AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL Amnesty International is a global movement of more than 7 million people who campaign for a world where human rights are enjoyed by all. Our vision is for every person to enjoy all the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights standards. We are independent of any government, political ideology, economic interest or religion and are funded mainly by our membership and public donations. First published in 2017 by Except where otherwise noted, This report documents Amnesty Amnesty International Ltd content in this document is International’s work and Peter Benenson House, licensed under a Creative concerns through 2016. 1, Easton Street, Commons (attribution, non- The absence of an entry in this London WC1X 0DW commercial, no derivatives, report on a particular country or United Kingdom international 4.0) licence. territory does not imply that no https://creativecommons.org/ © Amnesty International 2017 human rights violations of licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode concern to Amnesty International Index: POL 10/4800/2017 For more information please visit have taken place there during ISBN: 978-0-86210-496-2 the permissions page on our the year. Nor is the length of a website: www.amnesty.org country entry any basis for a A catalogue record for this book comparison of the extent and is available from the British amnesty.org depth of Amnesty International’s Library. concerns in a country. Original language: English ii Amnesty International Report 2016/17 AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL REPORT 2016/17 THE STATE OF THE WORLD’S HUMAN RIGHTS iv Amnesty International Report 2016/17 CONTENTS ANNUAL REPORT 2016/17 Abbreviations 7 Cuba 133 Preface 9 Cyprus 134 Foreword 12 Czech Republic 136 Africa Regional Overview 16 Democratic Republic of the Americas Regional Overview 24 Congo 137 Asia-Pacific Regional Overview 32 Denmark 141 Europe and Central Asia Regional Dominican Republic 142 Overview 40 Ecuador 144 Middle East and North Africa Egypt 145 Regional Overview 48 El Salvador 150 Afghanistan 58 Equatorial Guinea 152 Albania 62 Eritrea 153 Algeria 63 Estonia 155 Angola 65 Ethiopia 156 Argentina 68 Fiji 157 Armenia 70 Finland 158 Australia 72 France 160 Austria 73 Gambia 162 Azerbaijan 74 Georgia 164 Bahamas 76 Germany 166 Bahrain 77 Ghana 168 Bangladesh 80 Greece 170 Belarus 82 Guatemala 173 Belgium 84 Guinea 174 Benin 85 Guinea-Bissau 176 Bolivia 86 Haiti 177 Bosnia and Herzegovina 87 Honduras 179 Botswana 89 Hungary 181 Brazil 91 India 183 Brunei Darussalam 95 Indonesia 187 Bulgaria 96 Iran 191 Burkina Faso 98 Iraq 196 Burundi 100 Ireland 200 Cambodia 104 Israel and the Occupied Cameroon 106 Palestinian Territories 201 Canada 109 Italy 206 Central African Republic 111 Jamaica 208 Chad 114 Japan 209 Chile 116 Jordan 211 China 118 Kazakhstan 213 Colombia 123 Kenya 216 Congo (Republic of the) 128 Korea (Democratic People’s Côte d’Ivoire 129 Republic of) 219 Croatia 131 Korea (Republic of) 221 Amnesty International Report 2016/17 v Kuwait 223 Singapore 322 Kyrgyzstan 226 Slovakia 323 Laos 227 Slovenia 324 Latvia 228 Somalia 326 Lebanon 229 South Africa 329 Lesotho 231 South Sudan 333 Libya 233 Spain 336 Lithuania 237 Sri Lanka 339 Macedonia 238 Sudan 342 Madagascar 239 Swaziland 345 Malawi 240 Sweden 347 Malaysia 241 Switzerland 348 Maldives 243 Syria 349 Mali 245 Taiwan 354 Malta 246 Tajikistan 355 Mauritania 248 Tanzania 357 Mexico 250 Thailand 358 Moldova 254 Timor-Leste 361 Mongolia 256 Togo 362 Montenegro 257 Tunisia 364 Morocco/Western Sahara 258 Turkey 367 Mozambique 261 Turkmenistan 371 Myanmar 263 Uganda 373 Namibia 267 Ukraine 375 Nauru 268 United Arab Emirates 379 Nepal 269 United Kingdom 381 Netherlands 271 United States of America 385 New Zealand 272 Uruguay 390 Nicaragua 273 Uzbekistan 391 Niger 275 Venezuela 393 Nigeria 276 Viet Nam 398 Norway 281 Yemen 400 Oman 282 Zambia 403 Pakistan 283 Zimbabwe 405 Palestine (State of) 287 Papua New Guinea 290 Paraguay 291 Peru 293 Philippines 295 Poland 297 Portugal 299 Puerto Rico 300 Qatar 301 Romania 303 Russian Federation 305 Rwanda 309 Saudi Arabia 312 Senegal 316 Serbia 317 Sierra Leone 320 vi Amnesty International Report 2016/17 ABBREVIATIONS ASEAN ICCPR Association of Southeast Asian Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights AU African Union ICESCR International Covenant on Economic, Social CEDAW and Cultural Rights UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women ICRC International Committee of the Red Cross CEDAW Committee UN Committee on the Elimination of ILO Discrimination against Women International Labour Organization CERD International Convention against Enforced International Convention on the Elimination of Disappearance All Forms of Racial Discrimination International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance CERD Committee UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial LGBTI Discrimination Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex CIA US Central Intelligence Agency NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization ECOWAS Economic Community of West African States NGO Non-governmental organization EU European Union OAS Organization of American States European Committee for the Prevention of Torture OSCE European Committee for the Prevention of Organization for Security and Co-operation in Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment Europe or Punishment UK European Convention on Human Rights United Kingdom (European) Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms UN United Nations ICC International Criminal Court UN Convention against Torture Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment Amnesty International Report 2016/17 vii UN Refugee Convention Convention relating to the Status of Refugees UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression UN Special Rapporteur on racism Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance UN Special Rapporteur on torture Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women Special rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences UNHCR, the UN refugee agency Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund UPR UN Universal Periodic Review USA United States of America WHO World Health Organization viii Amnesty International Report 2016/17 PREFACE The Amnesty International Report 2016/17 documents the state of the world’s human rights during 2016. The foreword, five regional overviews and a survey of 159 countries and territories bear witness to the suffering endured by many, whether it be through conflict, displacement, discrimination or repression. The Report also shows that, in some areas, progress has been made in the safeguarding and securing of human rights. While every attempt is made to ensure accuracy, information may be subject to change without notice. Amnesty International Report 2016/17 ix AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL REPORT 2016/17 PART 1: FOREWORD AND REGIONAL OVERVIEWS three African Union member states FOREWORD announced that they were pulling out of the International Criminal Court, undermining the prospect of accountability for crimes under “2016 saw the idea of human international law. Meanwhile, Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir roamed the dignity and equality, the very continent freely and with impunity while his notion of a human family, government dropped chemical weapons on its own people in Darfur. coming under vigorous and On the political stage, perhaps the most relentless assault from prominent of many seismic events was the election of Donald Trump as President of the powerful narratives of blame, USA. His election followed a campaign during which he frequently made deeply fear and scapegoating, divisive statements marked by misogyny and propagated by those who xenophobia, and pledged to roll back established civil liberties and introduce sought to take or cling on to policies which would be profoundly inimical power at almost any cost.” to human rights. Donald Trump’s poisonous campaign rhetoric exemplifies a global trend towards SALIL SHETTY, SECRETARY GENERAL angrier and more divisive politics. Across the For millions, 2016 was a year of unrelenting world, leaders and politicians wagered their misery and fear, as governments and armed future power on narratives of fear and groups abused human rights in a multitude disunity, pinning blame on the “other” for the of ways. Large parts of Syria’s most populous real or manufactured grievances of the city, Aleppo, were pounded to dust by air electorate. strikes and street battles, while the cruel His predecessor, President Barack onslaught against civilians in Yemen Obama, leaves a legacy that includes many continued. From the worsening plight of the grievous failures to uphold human rights, not Rohingya people in Myanmar to mass least the expansion of the CIA’s secretive unlawful killings in South Sudan, from the campaign of drone strikes and the vicious crackdowns on dissenting voices in development of a gargantuan mass Turkey and Bahrain to the rise of hate speech surveillance machine as revealed by across large parts of Europe and the USA, whistleblower Edward Snowden. Yet the early the world in 2016 became a darker
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