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  • #1

    Amnesty International yearly report

    So the Amnesty International yearly report for 2007 has been released.

    Once more it showcases the countries around the world that have in some way or another violated human rights during the past year.

    And once more a lot of the countries mentioned are what we would normally call democracies that embrace fredom, egality, liberty and all that stuff.

    This got me thinking. What is it worth then? How can we use this report, or indeed Amnesty International in general, if countries like Germany, Denmark and Italy are mentioned alongside countries like Sudan, Iran and North Korea?

    Is it so, that Amnesty International are not in touch with what constitutes human rights in the globalized world? Or is it rather the case that most countries are in general good to live in, but that there are exceptions to the rule?

    The US...the so-called leader of the free world have more mentions than almost all other countries. Does that make the US bad? Or is the US just so powerful in it's own right that they can violated human rights arbitrarily without repercussions. What do the people of the US think about this? Do they even care?

    /discuss

    Asmodean
    Im not sure what Baruk Khazad is , but if they speak Judeo-Dwarvish, that would be "blessed are the dwarves" - lord of the mark
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  • #2
    There are several possiblities, for example:

    a) those AIers are terrorists and should be send to Gitmo

    b) in open societies it's a lot easier for NGOs like AI to monitor and report HR violations, and probably the political climate is more sensitive to such things, so even the smallest possible violation gets attention, while in a dictatorship that treats people like **** all the time and does not allow media coverage of that it's a bit different....

    Point of this being just more reports in country A do not prove per se that A is worse in HR than a country B with less reports. OTOH I don't think (or at least I hope so) NGO's like AI or HRW are trying to make a general judgement about the "worst country" with those reports.
    Blah

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    • #3
      Well, it could also be that it's more likely that minor abuses in democratic countries can be corrected through NGO action, whereas abuses in NK are a bit of a lost cause.
      "The purpose of studying economics is not to acquire a set of ready-made answers to economic questions, but to learn how to avoid being deceived by economists."
      -Joan Robinson

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      • #4
        Its easier picking on free societies.


        Picking on dictatorships can be dangerous.


        I saw a documentary about Russia's handling of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, and how Amnesty refused to get involved even though it was clearly a political crime against a persons civil rights.

        Comment

        • #5
          Amnesty is the perfection of a group of clueless leftist activists that I stopped listening to ages ago.

          They try so hard to appear apolitical and promote an image of universal altruism. Well, fool the other one.

          Comment

          • #6
            The UK's entry is at least as long as Irans.

            Now the UK isn't perfect but hey come on
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            • #7
              There are several reasons why AI would put civilized countries with some of them wild places.

              First of all, they want to show 'equality' in a sense that they are trying to avoid bias. Then again, this is bias .

              Another thing is, our countries are more transparent. That is, they can get information more easily than in for example some of the more authoritarian countries.

              And thirdly, if it's a human rights violation, then it is. I don't see how they should not report it, regardless where it happens. HOWEVER, it would be wise to put everything into perspective. So no, we shouldn't lump Germany etc with places like Sudan. A clear distinction should be made.
              In da butt.
              "Do not worry if others do not understand you. Instead worry if you do not understand others." - Confucius
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              • #8
                Winston sighting!!
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                AND TEH GRAAT SINS OF THERE [DOCTRINAL] INOVATIONS BQU3ATH3D SMAL
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                • #9
                  There's no escaping this place. But not to worry, Amnesty will be on it soon enough.

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Re: Amnesty International yearly report

                    Originally posted by Asmodean
                    The US...the so-called leader of the free world have more mentions than almost all other countries. Does that make the US bad? Or is the US just so powerful in it's own right that they can violated human rights arbitrarily without repercussions. What do the people of the US think about this? Do they even care?
                    I used to care what AI thought. I've written letters. However, they've lost their credibility with me.
                    Last edited by DanS; May 23, 2007, 11:06.
                    I came upon a barroom full of bad Salon pictures in which men with hats on the backs of their heads were wolfing food from a counter. It was the institution of the "free lunch" I had struck. You paid for a drink and got as much as you wanted to eat. For something less than a rupee a day a man can feed himself sumptuously in San Francisco, even though he be a bankrupt. Remember this if ever you are stranded in these parts. ~ Rudyard Kipling, 1891

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                    • #11
                      Amnesty International has been a joke for years. They're just like PETA when it comes to being wacky, hypocritical, lying, and being extremist. Then there's the fact they always fill there report with 30 pages on the US but 1-2 pages on all of Africa where some seriously bad regimes commit some truly horrible human rights violations. They don't care about that though since AI is just a silly political group for western left wing extremists.

                      They're best laughed at or ignored for their stupidity.
                      Try http://wordforge.net/index.php for discussion and debate.

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        To illustrate how far afield AI has strayed, compare the U.S. entry with Venezuela's and Cuba's.

                        13 reports for the U.S.

                        http://thereport.amnesty.org/eng/Regions/Americas/United-States-of-America


                        0 reports for Venezuela

                        http://thereport.amnesty.org/eng/Regions/Americas/Venezuela


                        2 reports for Cuba

                        http://thereport.amnesty.org/eng/Regions/Americas/Cuba
                        I came upon a barroom full of bad Salon pictures in which men with hats on the backs of their heads were wolfing food from a counter. It was the institution of the "free lunch" I had struck. You paid for a drink and got as much as you wanted to eat. For something less than a rupee a day a man can feed himself sumptuously in San Francisco, even though he be a bankrupt. Remember this if ever you are stranded in these parts. ~ Rudyard Kipling, 1891

                        Comment

                        • #13
                          I wrote some letters for them in highschool. I remember wondering why the **** some official in Columbia would release some political prisoner because a highschool kid in the USA wrote a letter...

                          In any event, obviously AI has a lot more access in the freer countries and also probably has more success (if any) in those countries.

                          -Arrian
                          grog want tank...Grog Want Tank... GROG WANT TANK!

                          The trick isn't to break some eggs to make an omelette, it's convincing the eggs to break themselves in order to aspire to omelettehood.

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                          • #14
                            Yes, the problem with AI is that they draw attention away from areas where real human abuses are occuring.
                            “As a lifelong member of the Columbia Business School community, I adhere to the principles of truth, integrity, and respect. I will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do.”
                            "Capitalism ho!"

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                            • #15
                              Amnesty International are a bunch of frauds is all.

                              Comment

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