Amnesty International blasts 2016 human rights violations

Amnesty international has warned that protests could increase in 2017 just like in 2016 if various governments do no take the demands of the people with seriousness.

The report gives an assessment of the human rights situation in the world in 2016, where there were cases of deliberate breaking of international law, and undermining of institutions meant to protect people’s rights.

“2016 was pretty awful as a year for human rights. It was marked by a poisonous and divisive manipulation of identity politics by politicians who made cynical use of the “us” versus “them” narrative, the counter human rights narrative of blame of hate, of fear in order to press the right buttons to win votes from excluded, disenchanted voters,” Southern Africa Director of Amnesty International, Deprose Muchena said.

An atmosphere of human rights violations reigned in Africa last year especially with the continuous fighting between opposing camps in South Sudan.

“In South Sudan despite the signing of the peace agreement, fighting continued in different parts of the country and escalated in the equatorial region. The UN special advisor on genocide, and the UN commission on human rights for South Sudan raised the alarm that the stage was being set for genocide,” the Research Director of Amnesty International, Netsanet Belay told reporters.

Amnesty international has called on Nigerian officials to look into accusations of serious war crimes committed by the terrorist Boko Haram and the military.

The Nigerian government has been accused of doing little in the face of such accusations.