Amnesty International accuses West of double standards

Amnesty International accused the West of double standards in dealing with crisis such as refugees and human rights.

In its annual report, released this Tuesday, the NGO accused the west of being "soft" in their approach to human rights in countries such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

"European states, among others, exhibited double standards as well, because while condemning Russia, they condoned or were complicit in grave violations by their allies Saudi Arabia, Egypt and and Israel, among others", said Philip Luther, senior research and policy adviser at Amnesty International. 

Amnesty International also denounced the different approach taken by western countries towards Ukrainian refugees and those from Syria and Afghanistan.

Amnesty International Italia general director, Ileana Bello, added: 

“We did welcome refugees from Ukraine, again rightfully, but we didn’t have the same approach towards other refugees and migrants that we often left dying in the Mediterranean Sea”. 

According to the report, the year 2022 saw an overall "deterioration in civil and political rights", with these suffering "repression" in some Western countries such as France, where Agnès Callamard, Amnesty's secretary general, points to the "illegal use of force" by police and gendarmes against protesters.