Amnesty International Report 2017/18
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
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 2018 by Except where otherwise noted, This report documents Amnesty Amnesty International Ltd content in this document is International’s work and concerns Peter Benenson House, licensed under a through 2017. 1, Easton Street, CreativeCommons (attribution, The absence of an entry in this London WC1X 0DW non-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 2018 human rights violations of licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode concern to Amnesty International Index: POL 10/6700/2018 For more information please visit have taken place there during the ISBN: 978-0-86210-499-3 the permissions page on our 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 2017/18 AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL REPORT 2017/18 THE STATE OF THE WORLD’S HUMAN RIGHTS iv Amnesty International Report 2017/18 CONTENTS ANNUAL REPORT 2017/18 Abbreviations vii Cuba 140 Preface ix Cyprus 142 Foreword 12 Czech Republic 143 Spotlight 15 Democratic Republic of the Africa Regional Overview 18 Congo 144 Americas Regional Overview 27 Denmark 147 Asia-Pacific Regional Overview 36 Dominican Republic 148 Europe and Central Asia Regional Ecuador 150 Overview 46 Egypt 151 Middle East and North Africa El Salvador 156 Regional Overview 55 Equatorial Guinea 158 Afghanistan 66 Eritrea 159 Albania 69 Estonia 161 Algeria 71 Ethiopia 162 Angola 73 Fiji 164 Argentina 76 Finland 165 Armenia 78 France 166 Australia 79 Gabon 168 Austria 80 Gambia 169 Azerbaijan 82 Georgia 171 Bahrain 84 Germany 173 Bangladesh 87 Ghana 176 Belarus 89 Greece 177 Belgium 91 Guatemala 180 Benin 92 Guinea 182 Bolivia 94 Haiti 183 Bosnia and Herzegovina 95 Honduras 185 Botswana 96 Hungary 187 Brazil 98 India 189 Brunei Darussalam 102 Indonesia 193 Bulgaria 103 Iran 197 Burkina Faso 105 Iraq 202 Burundi 107 Ireland 205 Cambodia 110 Israel and the Occupied Cameroon 112 Palestinian Territories 207 Canada 115 Italy 211 Central African Republic 118 Jamaica 214 Chad 121 Japan 216 Chile 123 Jordan 217 China 125 Kazakhstan 220 Colombia 130 Kenya 222 Congo (Republic of the) 135 Korea (Democratic People’s Côte d’Ivoire 136 Republic of) 225 Croatia 138 Korea (Republic of) 227 Amnesty International Report 2017/18 v Kuwait 229 Sierra Leone 325 Kyrgyzstan 231 Singapore 327 Laos 233 Slovakia 328 Latvia 234 Slovenia 329 Lebanon 234 Somalia 331 Lesotho 237 South Africa 332 Liberia 239 South Sudan 335 Libya 240 Spain 339 Lithuania 244 Sri Lanka 342 Macedonia 244 Sudan 344 Madagascar 246 Swaziland 346 Malawi 248 Sweden 347 Malaysia 249 Switzerland 348 Maldives 250 Syria 349 Mali 252 Taiwan 353 Malta 254 Tajikistan 354 Mauritania 254 Tanzania 357 Mexico 256 Thailand 358 Moldova 261 Timor-Leste 361 Mongolia 262 Togo 362 Montenegro 263 Tunisia 364 Morocco/Western Sahara 265 Turkey 367 Mozambique 268 Turkmenistan 372 Myanmar 269 Uganda 373 Namibia 273 Ukraine 376 Nauru 274 United Arab Emirates 379 Nepal 275 United Kingdom 381 Netherlands 277 United States of America 384 New Zealand 278 Uruguay 389 Nicaragua 279 Uzbekistan 390 Niger 280 Venezuela 393 Nigeria 282 Viet Nam 397 Norway 286 Yemen 400 Oman 287 Zambia 403 Pakistan 288 Zimbabwe 405 Palestine (State of) 292 Papua New Guinea 295 Paraguay 296 Peru 297 Philippines 299 Poland 301 Portugal 303 Puerto Rico 305 Qatar 306 Romania 308 Russian Federation 310 Rwanda 315 Saudi Arabia 317 Senegal 321 Serbia 322 vi Amnesty International Report 2017/18 ABBREVIATIONS ICCPR ASEAN International Covenant on Civil and Political Association of Southeast Asian Nations Rights AU ICESCR African Union International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights CEDAW UN Convention on the Elimination of All ICRC Forms of Discrimination against Women International Committee of the Red Cross CEDAW Committee ILO UN Committee on the Elimination of International Labour Organization Discrimination against Women International Convention against Enforced CERD Disappearance International Convention on the Elimination of International Convention for the Protection of All Forms of Racial Discrimination All Persons from Enforced Disappearance CERD Committee LGBTI UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and Discrimination intersex CIA NATO US Central Intelligence Agency North Atlantic Treaty Organization ECOWAS NGO Economic Community of West African States non-governmental organization EU OAS European Union Organization of American States European Committee for the Prevention of OSCE Torture Organization for Security and Co-operation in European Committee for the Prevention of Europe Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment UK United Kingdom European Convention on Human Rights (European) Convention for the Protection of UN Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms United Nations ICC UN Convention against Torture International Criminal Court Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment Amnesty International Report 2017/18 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 2017/18 PREFACE The Amnesty International Report 2017/18 shines a light on the state of the world’s human rights during 2017. The foreword, five regional overviews and a survey of 159 countries and territories from all regions document the struggle of many people to claim their rights, and the failures of governments to respect, protect and fulfil human rights. Yet there are also glimpses of hard-won progress, demonstrating that the defence of human rights does yield positive developments. This report pays tribute to the human rights defenders who continue to fight for change, sometimes risking their own lives in the process. In a year when austerity measures and natural disasters pushed many into deeper poverty and insecurity, this year’s report also shines a spotlight on economic, social and cultural rights. While every attempt is made to ensure accuracy, information may be subject to change without notice. Amnesty International Report 2017/18 ix AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL REPORT 2017/18 PART 1: FOREWORD, SPOTLIGHT AND REGIONAL OVERVIEWS FOREWORD “As we enter the year in which the Universal Declaration of Human Rights turns 70, it is abundantly clear that none of us can take our human rights for granted.” SALIL SHETTY, SECRETARY GENERAL Throughout 2017, millions across the world experienced the bitter fruits of a rising politics of demonization. Its ultimate consequences were laid bare in the horrific military campaign of ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya people in Myanmar. This caused an exodus of some 655,000 people into neighbouring Bangladesh in a matter of weeks, the fastest-growing refugee crisis of 2017. At the end of the year, their prospects for the future remained very unclear, and the enduring failure of world leaders to provide real solutions for refugees left little reason for optimism. This episode will stand in history as yet another testament to the world’s catastrophic failure to address conditions that provide fertile ground for mass atrocity crimes. The warning signs in Myanmar had long been visible: massive discrimination and segregation had become normalized within a regime that amounted to apartheid, and for long years the Rohingya people were routinely demonized and stripped of the basic conditions needed to live in dignity. The transformation of discrimination and demonization into mass violence is tragically familiar, and its ruinous consequences cannot be easily undone. The appalling injustices meted out to the Rohingya may have been especially visible in 2017, but the trend of leaders and politicians demonizing whole groups of people based on their identity reverberated across the globe. The past year showed us once again what happens when the politics of demonization become mainstream, with grim consequences for human rights. As we enter 2018, the year in which the Universal Declaration of Human Rights turns 70, it is abundantly clear that none of us can take any of our human rights for granted. We certainly cannot take for granted that we will be free to gather together in protest or to criticize our governments. Neither can we take for granted that social security will be available when we are old or incapacitated; that our babies can grow up in cities with clean, breathable air; or that as young people we will leave school to find jobs that enable us to buy a home. The battle for human rights is never decisively won in any place or at any point in time. The frontiers shift continually, so there can never be room for complacency.