The international response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 was clear and forceful, especially on the part of Western countries. Rejection, sanctions, investigation of the crimes that happened there and continue to happen there, opening borders for refugees from the conflict… An attitude that should be the norm in the face of any violation of human rights in any part of the world, but which, as Amnesty International has pointed out in its annual report, it is only maintained based on the interests of nations. The organization denounces the “double standard” and international “hypocrisy” in the defense of human rights.
“States cannot criticize human rights violations first, and then consent to similar abuses in other countries just to protect their own interests. It is inadmissible and erodes the foundations of the universal system of human rights”, affirms the general secretary of the organization.
The report denounces that the forcefulness of the West in its response to Russian aggression contrasts with the lukewarmness in the face of serious human rights violations being committed by some of its allies, such as Israel, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
On the other hand, it also highlights China’s use of heavy-handed tactics to prevent international action in response to the crimes against humanity it has committed, as well as the inaction of global and regional institutions (linked to hands for the individual interests of its member states) to respond adequately to conflicts in which thousands of people are losing their lives, such as those in Ethiopia, Burma and Yemen.
Amnesty notes that for the Palestinian population in the occupied West Bank, 2022 was one of the deadliest years since 2006. Israeli forces killed at least 151 Palestinians, including dozens of children. Israeli authorities continued to force Palestinian people from their homes, and the government launched plans to dramatically expand illegal settlements.
In relation to the United States, Aministia points out that, despite having admitted tens of thousands of Ukrainians to its territory, between September 2021 and May 2022 it expelled more than 25,000 Haitians and subjected many to torture and other abuses
In this same sense, the states of the European Union opened their borders to the Ukrainian population and demonstrated that they had the capacity to host large numbers of people seeking safety. However, many European states kept their borders closed to those fleeing war and repression in Syria, Afghanistan and Libya.
This Western double standard, the organization says, has emboldened countries like China, and allowed Egypt and Saudi Arabia to evade, ignore and deflect criticism of their respective histories of human rights.
Despite the massive human rights violations committed against the Uyghur population and other Muslim minorities, in 2022 China evaded condemnation from the UN General Assembly, Security Council and Human Rights Council. The latter appointed a special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Russia and established an investigative mechanism on Iran following the protests following the death of Maixa Amini. However, he voted not to continue investigating or debating the UN’s findings on the commission of possible crimes against humanity in the Chinese province of Xinjiang.
Amnesty notes that 2022 has also been a year of setbacks for women’s rights after the US Supreme Court’s decision to annul the protection of the right to abortion, the restrictions on the right to education imposed by the Taliban in Afghanistan and the inaction of countries such as India or Pakistan to pursue gender violence.
