Amnesty Research Articles

The expediency of literature: French humanitarian narratives between politics and the market

In recent years, French authors have called for the mobilization of literature in favor of migrants’ rights and recognition. Writers, publishers, and booksellers have donated all revenue to humanitarian agencies such as La Cimade, Amnesty International, and UNHCR. At the same time, humanitarian NGOs have mobilized literary works to rally audiences around migrant issues. This essay examines how contemporary French literature and humanitarian organizations work in tandem to respond to the international migrant “crisis.” Drawing on George Yúdice's notion of “culture as resource,” I analyze two literary works—Matéi Visniec's play Migraaaants and Émilie de Turckheim's autofictional text Le Prince à la petite tasse—to argue that literary works’ ability to raise awareness about current migrations is enhanced when they sit alongside the actions of humanitarian NGOs.

Who is Being Served? How Competing Norms and Values Shape the Transitional Justice Agenda in Zimbabwe

ABSTRACT Any transitional justice process involves a multiplicity of actors and competing norms and values that shape the transitional justice agenda. This article is concerned with the ways competing norms and values have shaped the transitional justice agenda in Zimbabwe. It makes the argument that the privileging of a neoliberalist perspective, as well as a human rights discourse in dealing with the concerns of post-conflict societies, has posed challenges for meaningful transitional justice interventions in Zimbabwe and on the African continent and suggests a nuanced approach to transitional justice that captures the history, culture and other dynamics that shape a country’s politics. This article draws from interviews with four civil society activists and scholars on transitional justice in Zimbabwe, as well as narratives are drawn from a categorical content analysis of the reports and other publications of four civil society organisations – Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum (ZHRNGOF), Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP), Amnesty International (Zimbabwe) and Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZIMRIGHTS). The civil society organisations and activists were purposively sampled based on the work they have done in the area under study, as well as their understanding of the context and its nuanced complexities.

Роль Amnesty International в системі міжнародних відносин

The article examines the history of the international human rights organization Amnesty International, which since its inception has been constantly working around the world to stop human rights violations. The activity of this international organization from the moment of its foundation to the present is described. The covered Amnesty International’s fight against the abolition of the death penalty, protection of sexual rights, fight against discrimination to protect the rights of migrants and refugees, fight against apartheid, protection from torture, etc. The role of the international non-governmental organization Amnesty International in the system of global governance from its creation to the present period is analyzed. Emphasis is placed on the activities of this international organization in Ukraine. Amnesty International has investigated and covered issues in Ukraine such as torture and ill-treatment in the army and prisons, the case of Georgy Gongadze and other journalists, and called on Ukraine to end criminal charges against journalists. With the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Amnesty International has focused the world’s attention on the problem of the war in Ukraine. The author concludes that, despite the contradictory nature of its activities, this international organization has played and continues to play an important role in world politics. Today, it is one of the most famous and influential non-governmental organizations in the world. It investigates violations and abuses whenever and wherever, and requires governments and corporations to comply with their obligations and respect international law.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Activism in Postwar Britain, 1945–1977 by Tom Buchanan

Amnesty International and Human Rights Activism in Postwar Britain, 1945–1977 by Tom Buchanan

Exploring the role of contextual behavioural science variables and education in the prosocial domain of global poverty and human rights

Two preliminary, single session, lab-based experiments sought to examine the differing roles of: contextual behavioural science variables (i.e. ACT/mindfulness), charity focused education and control conditions in terms of their influence on donations to charities operating in the fields of global poverty and human rights. Across the two studies, participants (n = 83, n = 85) were compensated for their time and after completing self-report questionnaires were introduced to the work of Oxfam and/or Amnesty International and asked if they would donate any of their compensation to the charities (ask 1). Following this, participants listened to a single audio recording containing either: ACT/mindfulness material or relevant charity education content. Control conditions were also used. Participants were then asked again if they wished to donate any of their compensation to charity (ask 2), before being given their actual compensation and having the opportunity to donate some, none or all of it for real (ask 3). Results indicate a bimodal distribution in donation data forcing a change in analytic strategy to non-parametric statistics. Psychological flexibility measures did not significantly correlate with donation data. And neither ACT nor mindfulness audio recordings significantly moved the donation data across the asks. However, charity education material significantly and positively moved donation data between ask 1 and ask 3. The paper discusses possible reasons for the results and explores future avenues for research in the prosocial area.

Use of pronoun nous in 2 activist newspapers: Amnesty International Chronicle and ATD Fourth World Journal

Cet article étudie l’emploi du nous dans 40 éditoriaux de deux journaux militants La Chronique d’Amnesty International-section française et le Journal d’ATD Quart Monde France. Il met en évidence une forte présence du nous dans ces articles avec trois valeurs inégalement réparties : le nous des dirigeants de l’association, le nous militant de l’association qui s’oppose à un extérieur, et le nous désignant une communauté élargie et floue. Le nous militant n’est pas associé aux mêmes actes de langage et au même contexte sémantique dans les deux journaux et l’article établit une corrélation entre ces observations et la structure et les objectifs de chaque journal, d’une part, l’éthos de l’association, d’autre part.

Flying the Rainbow Flag at the United Nations

Issues of sexual orientation and gender identity were raised in two of the United Nations intergovernmental world conferences on women, 1985 and 1995, and in the Vienna world conference on human rights in 1993. From 2006 a number of LGBTI Non-Governmental Organizations gained ongoing ‘consultative status’ from the Economic and Social Council allowing access to regular UN human rights events. Leading human rights NGOs, such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch began to address LGBTI issues. The Human Rights Council condemned violence and discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity in 2011 and later authorized an independent expert, whose mandate was renewed for a second term. The UNDP “Being LGBT in Asia” program has been active in eight Asian states, including five in ASEAN: Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. Strong support came from Ban Ki-moon as UN Secretary-General, as well as from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and other agencies.

Between Dialogue and Denunciation: The World Council of Churches, Religious Freedom, and Human Rights during the Cold War

While the historiography on the religious Cold War has tended to focus on Christian anticommunism, the World Council of Churches (WCC) sought to transcend the Cold War while simultaneously advancing religious freedom in the Soviet Union. This article connects the WCC's ecclesiastical diplomacy to the wider story of human rights, from which religion has too often been excluded. The WCC's quest for Christian fellowship led it to integrate the Russian Orthodox Church into its membership, but this commitment generated tensions with the rise of Soviet dissidence. Moreover, the WCC's turn towards the left and the Third World contrasted with newly ascendant voices for human rights in the 1970s: Amnesty International's depoliticised liberalism, evangelical anticommunism, and the Vatican under John Paul II. Thus, the WCC, an early and prominent transnational voice for human rights, ran afoul of shifts in both the Cold War and the politics of protest.

COVID‐19 Vaccine Inequity: High time to calibrate the global moral compass

COVID‐19 Vaccine Inequity: High time to calibrate the global moral compass

“You sleep with the devil; you wake up in hell!”: On the new EU-Turkey Deal

Right from the start in 2016, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Amnesty International challenged the legitimacy of the so-called refugee deal between Turkey and the EU. Toward the end of 2020, the EU concluded another agreement with Turkey as part of the €6 billion in funding covered by the refugee deal, in spite of Turkey’s deteriorating human rights record. Against a backdrop of Turkey’s weaponizing of refugees against Europe and Europe’s treatment of the refugee issue as a local problem, the European border and coast guard organization Frontex has been practicing illegal pushbacks. It is clear that once you toy with the devil, you cannot escape hell.

Challenges of managerial responsibility and ethics for Central and East European countries based on the experience from the Czech Republic

The study aims to identify the typical key factors of ethical thinking and behaviour in Central and East European (CEE) countries, and regard them from the experience of privatization and transformation process in the Czech Republic. The background of ethical scandals and dilemmas of CEE countries reflects their roots in socialist education and state-planned economy, which are based on Marxism, which had and has serious consequences. The study describes the main philosophical reasons affecting the managerial limits in the ethical context of business and management behaviour after the transformation period with the apparent challenges in management thinking and executive education for today. The following description and interpretation of the fundamental implications of the presented analysis for managerial responsibility and ethics are discussed with the relevant professional literature that illuminates the personal, social and economic long-term consequences. Cross-country comparisons reflect developments in the European Union, the Amnesty International Corruption Index and other specific influences according to regional sources. Resulting challenges relate to challenges of business and management philosophy in business schools. The conclusion shows the space for the following professional discussion with European partners and PRME signatories regarding the ethical challenges for executive education and sustainability management in CEE. Recent academic publications show that managerial responsibility and ethical behaviour are increasingly in the focus of interest of both academics and company management.

Counter-Terrorism Measures and Human Rights Protection in Kenya

Many counter-terrorism measures enacted by states have been criticized for violating human rights. This study sought to assess the Kenya’s counter-terrorism framework to ascertain whether the established counter-terrorism measures violate or adhere to the protection of human rights. The study adopted an exploratory research design to assess the counter-terrorism measures and alleged human rights violation in Kenya. The target population was the national security organs, counter-terrorism agencies, civil societies championing human rights protection, security enforcers and watchdog bodies. The sample of 200 respondents and informants was drawn from the National Assembly, Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, the International Federation for Human Rights, UN Counter-Terrorism Centre and Amnesty International Kenya. A stratified and purposive sampling technique was employed in selecting the respondents and informants during the study. The findings of the study established various stick and carrot counter-terrorism strategies used by organizations, government and security apparatus in Kenya. These strategies are faced by a number of challenges. A number of these measures violate human rights. There are however, some counter terrorism strategies that uphold human rights. The counter-terrorism strategies that the government can adopt in respect of human rights to include youth empowerment and employment, enhance surveillance and intelligence gathering, stop renditions and use of force, proper investigations, uphold human rights and rule of law and public education, awareness and participation. The study recommends government to adopt counter-terrorism promote human rights protection. Further, the study recommends that the governments need to create public awareness and participation in counter-terrorism strategies and measures to build public confidence on its efforts to fight terrorism.

Women and the Politics of Incivility and Discrimination: Introduction

Women and the Politics of Incivility and Discrimination: Introduction

SYRIA – “THE WAR WITH MULTIPLE PROXIES”. VIOLATIONS OF INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW AND HUMAN RIGHTS

The civil war in Syria, triggered by the pro-democracy demonstrations of the "Arab Spring", was a complicated combination of religious, cultural and ethnic-identity contradictions. The non-international conflict was turned into a "battlefield" for foreign powers, which led to the transformation of a civil war into a "war with multiple proxies". The United Nations' efforts to mediate the conflict, based on a six-point plan, remained in the draft phase. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have denounced flagrant violations of human rights and international humanitarian law by the al-Assad regime, which has widely used non-discriminatory weapons banned in violation of the Geneva Conventions, 1949. The Bashār al-Assad regime is accused by the international community of being guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity, but attempts to incriminate it have failed.

201 - Care Home Residents as Artists: Digital Connections in the age of Disconnect.

AbstractThroughout the current global pandemic, many people have had to adapt to new ways of interacting through virtual platforms. For those with access to new technologies this transition has been straightforward, but not easy and for those without it, life has become socially isolating, frightening, and lonely. The impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of older adults is a serious concern, particularly for those living in care homes who have been forgotten or neglected by exclusionary government policy. Amnesty International’s 2020 report As if Expendable: The UK Government’s Failure to Protect Older People in Care Homes During the COVID-19 Pandemic provides analysis of the neglect to care and sufficiently support older adults living with dementia in supported living. The results of this inaction to provide care has led to many avoidable deaths, and caused fear and heartache for those who have lost family, friends and colleagues. It is at this moment, during the third UK lockdown that we would like to share a narrative of hope about the actions that we have taken within care home contexts to provide relief, reconnect residents safely with their neighbours, and found creative ways to inclusively provide care, support and celebrations of the identities of people in these contexts who have become statistics in news reports.Between January and March 2021, undergraduate and postgraduate Applied Theatre students from The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in partnership with Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust collaborated with residents from One Housing Association to create and develop bespoke films, poems, songs and virtual reality 360 videos from the safety of their homes to bring to life their stories, hopes and inner artists. In this presentation, we will explore the impact of these projects on the participants’ wellbeing and examine the importance of providing older adults opportunities to be creative. We will additionally offer insights into the relationships that were made and developed during the projects, including family connections, intergenerational connections and playful relationships that emerged between the residents themselves and their Carers.

DIGITAL PLATFORMS AND THE DIGITISATION OF GOVERNMENT SURVEILLANCE

In Europe today, digital platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, provide essential means for millions of people to express themselves, engage in public debate, and organise politically (Poell & van Dijck, 2018). Crucially, governments are leveraging the power of platforms to impose new forms of restrictions on free expression, and engage in surveillance of individuals and online activism. This has profound implications for the rights to freedom of expression, privacy, and data protection. Further, platforms that once refused to cooperate with governments in identifying users responsible for disseminating allegedly illegal or harmful content are now expanding cooperation with authorities, including sharing data about users flagged by law enforcement and other authorities. As civil society organisations warn, this trend is contributing to ‘invasive and unlawful digital surveillance’ (Amnesty International, 2019, p. 24). This paper examines how European governments are leveraging the power of digital platforms to engage in government surveillance online, and assesses the compatibility of these measures with European human rights law. The paper applies a unique interdisciplinary perspective, bringing together law, political communication and surveillance studies. First, the paper examines how platforms’ algorithmic systems shape (and limit) information dissemination. The paper then critically analyses government-platform initiatives that exist to surveil citizens and gather information, including new measures under the EU’s proposed Digital Services Act. Third, it assesses how these measures comply with freedom of expression and the right to privacy, and concludes with recommendations on remedying problematic elements of the role platforms play in digitisation of government surveillance.

Fostering land-sharing scheme as alternative resettlement to the inevitable Old Fadama evictions and challenges in Ghana

ABSTRACT The study aims to explain the essence of an alternative approach to the Old Fadama inevitable eviction and to justify the merits & feasibility of a land-sharing scheme to the community. Previous studies used principles to explain the feasibility of land-sharing, but the present study adopted both principles and theories. The injustice and social inequality from evictions are ironed out by applying Amartya Sen’s idea on justice that counters transcendentalism theory. The study answers three critical questions: why the community residents demand justice, how advantageous land-sharing is to other methods, and how feasible land-sharing is to the research area. A survey was done in the study area using structured questionnaires, interviews, and observations. A purposive sampling technique selected 600 affected community residents, 30 local government officials, and one coordinator from Amnesty International Ghana. Both qualitative and quantitative analytical methods were used to analyse the primary data. First of all, the study findings revealed four substantive claims for requesting justice from the local authorities; citizenship rights, property rights, temporal permit, and long-term stay. Secondly, land-sharing is preferred to relocation and cash compensation because it poses less risk than the other two. Finally, the study supported the feasibility of a land-sharing scheme to the Old Fadama based on Rabé’s (2005) principles. The study also concluded that information and compensation are critical to the resettlement process; hence, local authorities should.

The Online Intersection among Islamophobia, Populism, and Hate Speech: An Italian Perspective

Abstract Online radical Islam is a topic widely studied by scholars and notoriously discussed among non- experts as well (Awan, 2007; Von Behr et al. 2013; Gray & Head 2009). Because of its intrinsic characteristics (i.e. accessibility, anonymity, or users’ identity dissimulation), the internet has always been a useful tool for propagandists of Islamic fundamentalism (Fighel, 2007; Stenersen, 2008; Koehler, 2014). However, in the last decade, studies have questioned the real importance and magnitude of Islamic radicalization online (Gill et al., 2017). In fact, while scholars were focused on observing digital Islamic radicalization, a galaxy of new forms of extremism was growing online (Silva et al., 2017; Roversi, 2008) that no longer made Islam an exceptional case study. Today, Muslim people are one of the groups most aggressively targeted by extremist, intolerant, violent, and radical discourses (Elahi & Khan, 2017; Amnesty International, 2019). Anti-Muslim hate speech has spread online throughout Europe and the United States, reinforced by the propaganda and political discourse of populist right-wing parties (Hafez, 2014; Bakali 2016). This paper introduces some large-scale action-research projects developed in Europe and Italy in the last three years (2016–2019) and aims to reconstruct the most updated Islamophobia state of the art in terms of numbers, characteristics, and phenomenology from the offline to the online context.

Legalization, Decriminalization or Criminalization; Could We Introduce a Global Prescription for Prostitution (Sex Work)?

Context: Prostitution is a complex phenomenon defined as the provision of sexual services to receive something (goods or services) which is not sexual. Given the response of different societies and cultures to criminalization, decriminalization, or legalization of prostitution, this study aimed to compare the three aforementioned approaches to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of each view. Evidence Acquisition: This narrative review study summarizes various views on how to control the prostitution phenomenon. To conduct this study, related articles in PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus databases, as well as documents and reports published by Amnesty International, the World Health Organization, and the United Nations Office on AIDS, were investigated. There was no time limit for searching the articles and documents. Results: Different communities have their own responses to the prostitution phenomenon, depending on their economic, social, and cultural context. According to the literature reviews, three main approaches, including criminalization, decriminalization, and legalization, are recommended to deal with prostitution. In each of these frameworks, human trafficking and child prostitution are criminalized. Although it seems that partial decriminalization has greater benefits with fewer disadvantages, it is not without defects. Conclusions: Using the moderator rules that are embedded in the laws of each country for expediency might reduce the harmful consequences of the first rules, or measures can be taken by considering specific regulations that exist in the national system of each country.

Developing Human Rights at Sea

International Human Rights Law (IHRL) is a recent addition to the general body of international law. Despite the significance of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the law based upon it did not achieve meaningful substance until conventional law dealing with Human Rights had entered into force and international conditions had allowed for the customary acceptance of the rules it contained. The 1970s were an important period in the IHRL narrative. The two international Human Rights covenants from 1966 entered into force in 1976, Amnesty International received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1977 and Human Rights Watch was founded (as Helsinki Watch) the following year. These two non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have since been the principal civil society monitoring and advocacy bodies advancing the cause of Human Rights globally and they contributed significantly to the growing influence of Human Rights from the 1970s onwards.