Krishna Pahadi, a human rights activist in Nepal who has been detained 28 times, remains optimistic that the regime's crackdowns will only strengthen the human rights movement. The author also remains hopeful despite ongoing human rights abuses, noting some signs of progress including declining conflicts worldwide, UN human rights reforms, and growing rejection of impunity. However, more work is still needed to curb torture in the name of counterterrorism and ensure respect for human rights and the rule of law in the fight against terrorism.

1. A YEAR IN PERSPECTIVE
A YEAR IN terrorism. Over the past year, some of the world’s most
powerful governments have received an
uncomfortable wake-up call about the dangers of
PERSPECTIVE: A undervaluing the human rights dimension of their
actions at home and abroad. Their doublespeak and
deception have been exposed by the media, challenged
GLASS HALF FULL by activists and rejected by the courts.
I also see other signs for optimism. The overall
number of conflicts worldwide continues to fall, thanks
to international conflict management, conflict
BY IRENE KHAN, SECRETARY GENERAL, prevention and peace-building initiatives, giving hope
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL to millions of people in countries like Angola, Liberia
and Sierra Leone.
Krishna Pahadi, a human rights activist in Nepal, has Institutional reform was initiated at the United
been detained 28 times by the government. When I met Nations (UN) to strengthen the international human
him in a police detention centre in Kathmandu in rights machinery, despite the attempt by a number of
February 2005, shortly after he had been arrested for cynical and “spoiler” governments to block progress.
the 27th time, his message was surprisingly upbeat. The The call for justice for some of the worst crimes under
more the regime locks up peaceful protesters like him, international law gained greater force across the world,
he told me, the more it strengthens the cause of human from Latin America to the Balkans. Although corrupt,
rights. Widespread political unrest and international inefficient and politically biased national judicial
condemnation of the Nepalese government’s actions systems remain a major barrier to justice, the tide is
support Krishna’s views. Deprived of any reading beginning to turn against impunity in some parts of the
material in prison except religious books, he had world. In 2005 several countries opened investigations
finished reading the Bhagavad Gita and was about to or conducted trials of people suspected of war crimes
begin the Bible, to be followed by the Qur’an. He has no and crimes against humanity. Despite the opposition of
doubt that his struggle and that of others like him will the USA, support for the International Criminal Court
prevail. It is only a matter of time, he said. (ICC) has grown, with Mexico becoming the 100th state
Krishna is not daunted. Nor am I, despite the abuse party to ratify the Rome Statute of the ICC. The UN
and injustice, violence and violations across the globe Security Council’s decision to refer the situation in
documented in the Amnesty International Report 2006. Darfur to the ICC set an important precedent,
The human rights landscape is littered with broken demonstrating the link between security and justice.
promises and failures of leadership. Governments Ordinary people took to the streets to demand their
profess to champion the cause of human rights but rights and to seek political change. In Bolivia, the
show repressive reflexes when it comes to their own poorest country in South America, massive protests
policies and performance. Grave abuses in Afghanistan by indigenous communities, peasants and miners led
and Iraq cast a shadow over much of the human rights to the resignation of the President and election to
debate, as torture and terror feed off each other in a power of the country’s first ever indigenous Head of
vicious cycle. The brutality and intensity of attacks by State. Even repressive governments found themselves
armed groups in these and other countries grow, taking caught out by mass protest, and were forced to make
a heavy toll on human lives. some concessions.
Nevertheless, a closer look at the events of 2005 There will be those who will challenge my sense of
gives me reason for hope. There were some clear signs optimism. But I take strength from these developments
that a turning point may be in sight after five years of and, most importantly, from the extraordinary display
backlash against human rights in the name of counter- of global activism and human solidarity across borders;
Krishna Pahadi (right), a
founding member of the Human
Rights and Peace Society and
former Chair of AI Nepal, with
Irene Khan in London shortly © AI
after his release, 2005.
Amnesty International Report 2006 1

2. A YEAR IN PERSPECTIVE
from the energy and commitment of Amnesty ruled that the system for investigating deaths of Iraqi
International (AI) members worldwide; from the huge prisoners at the hands of UK armed forces personnel
crowds that turned out to “make poverty history” in the was seriously deficient.
lead-up to the G8 Summit; and from the outpouring of In the USA there was similar questioning of the Bush
support from ordinary people for the victims of the Administration’s claim that in its fight against terrorism
tsunami in Asia, Hurricane Katrina in the USA and the it could exempt itself from the prohibition against
earthquake in Kashmir. torture and ill-treatment. A legislative amendment
From peasant farmers protesting against land sought to affirm the ban on torture and cruel, inhuman
grabbing in China to women asserting their rights on and degrading treatment of all prisoners by US officials
the 10th anniversary of the UN World Conference on and agents, wherever they might be. Not only did the
Women, the events of 2005 showed that the human President threaten to veto the bill, the Vice President
rights idea – together with the worldwide movement of sought to exempt the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
people that drives it forward – is more powerful and from the law. The CIA itself admitted to using “water-
stronger than ever. boarding” (simulated drowning) as an interrogation
technique, and the Attorney-General claimed that the
Torture and counter-terrorism USA has the power to mistreat detainees abroad, so
When suicide bombers struck at the heart of London long as they are not US citizens.
in July 2005, the UK Prime Minister Tony Blair reacted In the end, it was President Bush who blinked first
by announcing plans that would drastically restrict and was forced to withdraw his opposition to the bill.
human rights and show the world that “the rules of the However, the bill had a serious sting in its tail, with an
game are changing”. Lord Steyn, a retired Law Lord of amendment which stripped Guantánamo detainees of
the UK judiciary, responded aptly: “The maintenance the right to file habeas corpus appeals in a federal court
of the rule of law is not a game. It is about access to and barred them from seeking court review of their
justice, fundamental human rights and democratic treatment or conditions of detention. Nevertheless, the
values”. President’s public climb-down was indicative of the
Fortunately, some of the most outrageous pressure being put on the Administration by powerful
provisions of the legislation proposed by the UK divisions within the USA and increasing concern among
government were thrown out by Parliament. The its allies abroad.
government was defeated twice on its counter- European governments squirmed as one story after
terrorism legislation in 2005 – the first ever another revealed their role as junior partners of the
parliamentary defeats for Prime Minister Blair in his USA in its “war on terror”. There was public outcry
nine years of office. following media reports of possible collusion between
The judiciary also took the UK government to task. the US Administration and some European
The highest court in the land, the House of Lords, governments on “CIA black sites” – alleged secret
rejected the government’s contention that it could detention centres on European territory. Increasing
use information obtained by torture by foreign evidence that prisoners were being illegally transferred
governments as evidence in UK courts. In another through European airports to countries where there
case, the Court of Appeal rejected the government’s was a risk they would be tortured (“extraordinary
claim that UK forces in Iraq were not bound by renditions”) also provoked widespread public
international and domestic human rights law. It also condemnation.
Roma in Bulgaria at an
anti-discrimination rally in
central Sofia, February
2005. The rally coincided
with the start of the
international initiative
“2005-2015 Decade of
Roma Inclusion” which was
launched in eight south-
© EMPICS/AP eastern European states.
2 Amnesty International Report 2006

3. A YEAR IN PERSPECTIVE
diminished. The USA has not categorically rejected the
use of certain forms of torture or ill-treatment. It has
failed to institute an independent investigation into the
role of senior US officials in the abuses committed in
Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison and elsewhere, despite
growing evidence of high-level involvement.
When the British courts declared the detention of
foreigners without charge or trial to be unlawful, the UK
government immediately introduced new legislation to
hold people under virtual house arrest. It continues to
seek “diplomatic assurances” to enable it to return
people to countries where they could face torture.
The “export value” of the “war on terror” has not
decreased either. With the tacit or explicit approval of
© Reuters/Raheb Homavandi
the USA, countries like Egypt, Jordan and Yemen
Women protest
continue to detain, without charge or fair trial, people
suspected of involvement in terrorism.
against gender
What is different about 2005 compared to past years
discrimination
is that the public mood is changing, thanks to the work
in the Iranian
of human rights advocates and others, which is putting
capital, Tehran, the US and European governments on the defensive.
June 2005. People are no longer willing to buy the fallacious
argument that reducing our liberty will increase our
The demand for the closure of the detention centre in security. More and more governments are being called
Guantánamo Bay gained greater momentum with the UN, to account – before legislatures, in courts and other
various European institutions, and political and opinion public forums. More and more there is a realization that
leaders, including prominent US figures, adding their flouting human rights and the rule of law, far from
voices to the growing pressure. What was once AI’s lone winning the “war on terror”, only creates resentment
voice in the wilderness has now become a crescendo of and isolates those communities targeted by these
condemnation against the most blatant symbol of US measures, plays into the hands of extremists, and
abuse of power. That strengthens our own resolve to undermines our collective security.
continue to campaign until the US Administration closes Lines, however fragile, are being drawn. Voices are
the Guantánamo camp, discloses the truth about secret being raised. This offers hope for a turning point in the
detention centres under its control, and acknowledges debate and a more principled approach to human rights
the right of detainees to be tried in accordance with and security in the future.
international law standards or be released. Contrary to the statement of the UK Prime Minister,
The shifts I have identified do not mean that support the rules of the game have not changed. Neither security
for restrictive measures has disappeared or that attacks nor human rights are well served by governments who
on human rights in the name of counter-terrorism have play games with these fundamental rules.
International Women’s
Day, Beni, North Kivu
Province, Democratic
Republic of the Congo,
March 2005. The
women are marching
barefoot with their
shoes on their heads in
protest at widespread
© AI
rape in the region.
Amnesty International Report 2006 3

4. A YEAR IN PERSPECTIVE
We must continue to condemn in the strongest
possible terms the cowardly and heinous attacks on
civilians by armed groups. Equally strongly, we must
also resist the foolish and dangerous strategies of
governments who seek to fight terror with torture.
Reform initiatives
Growing disillusionment and damning criticism of the
UN human rights machinery finally led governments to
initiate some important reforms as part of a rethink of
the UN’s role in international governance.
UN member states agreed to double the budget of the Members of the
Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Torture Abolition
and to focus its work to a much greater extent on and Survivors
protecting human rights through presence in the field. Support Coalition
The member states decided to jettison the International
discredited UN Commission on Human Rights, and demonstrate
proposed to replace it with a Human Rights Council, outside the White
elected by and accountable to the UN General House, Washington
Assembly, and able to scrutinize all states, including, D.C., USA, June
first and foremost, its own members. Although a © Reuters/Chris Kleponis 2005.
product of compromise, the proposal represents a
significant opportunity to improve the UN human rights
machinery. Regrettably, the future of the Council hangs Persons from Enforced Disappearance, to address the
in the balance as we go to press because of the refusal unacknowledged arrest, detention, torture and often
of the USA to support it, ostensibly on the basis that it death of prisoners at the hands of agents of the state.
has too many “deficiencies”. One state, no matter how AI, which first began campaigning on behalf of the
powerful, should not be allowed to undermine a broad, “disappeared” some 35 years ago, welcomes this
international consensus. I hope that other important contribution to human rights protection.
governments will resist US pressure, rally behind the The UN appointed a Special Representative on the
resolution and get the Council up and running. issue of human rights and transnational corporations
I am encouraged by the support that governments and other business enterprises. Although companies
have shown for changes to the UN human rights can be a force for positive social and economic
machinery. This is all the more remarkable, given the development, the impact of some business operations
way in which much of the UN Secretary-General’s on human rights are deeply damaging, as shown by the
ambitious and forward-looking package on UN violence generated by oil and mineral interests in
reform – including proposals to expand Security places like the Niger delta in Nigeria, the Democratic
Council membership, strengthen weapons non- Republic of the Congo and Sudan, or the readiness of
proliferation and better equip the UN to act effectively the information and technology industry to fall in line
to halt genocide – was rejected or wrecked. with China’s restrictive policies on freedom of
I am also heartened by some less publicized gains in expression. Yet a powerful combination of political and
the past year. The UN completed drafting an business interests has managed to resist international
International Convention for the Protection of All efforts to advance the legal accountability of business
Human rights defenders outside
the building where former
Peruvian President Alberto
Fujimori was detained in
Santiago, Chile, December 2005.
Alberto Fujimori has been
charged in Peru with human
rights violations including
© CNDDHH ordering killings and torture.
4 Amnesty International Report 2006

5. A YEAR IN PERSPECTIVE
demonstrated by the USA and the UK in relation to
Iraq, and by Russia and China in the case of Sudan.
They appear oblivious to the lessons of history that
the road to strengthening global security lies through
respect for human rights.
Former Iraqi The hypocrisy of the G8 was particularly marked in
President 2005. The G8 governments claimed to put eradication of
Saddam poverty in Africa high on their agenda, while continuing
Hussein to be major suppliers of arms to African governments.
stands trial, Six of the eight G8 countries are among the top 10 largest
Baghdad, global arms exporters, and all eight export large
October © EMPICS/AP amounts of conventional weapons or small arms to
2005. developing countries. This should place a particular
responsibility on the G8 to help create an effective
system of global control on arms transfers. But, despite
for human rights. Despite considerable controversy pressure from the UK government, the leaders of the G8
surrounding the UN Norms on business and human failed to agree on the need for an Arms Trade Treaty at
rights, the issue of corporate accountability remained the Gleneagles Summit in July 2005.
firmly on the international agenda. Building on the However, the call for a global treaty to control
experience of the Norms, the task now will be to small arms gained support from at least 50 countries
develop a clear set of international human rights around the world. The message of the campaign,
standards and principles for corporate actors. jointly led by AI, Oxfam and the International Action
Network for Small Arms (IANSA), is clear: the arms
Rhetoric and reality trade is out of control, and must be restrained
Institutions are only as strong as the political will of urgently.
those who govern them. Far too often, powerful Turning to regional institutions, I am disappointed
governments manipulate the UN and regional that the European Union (EU) remains a largely muted
institutions to further their narrow national interests. voice on human rights. It cannot expect to maintain
The USA is a prime example, but unfortunately it is not its credibility on human rights and occupy the moral
alone, as is evidenced by Russia’s record in the high ground if it buries its collective head in the sand
Caucasus and Central Asia, and China’s expanding when confronted with abuses committed by its major
economic co-operation with some of the most political and trading partners, or closes its eyes to the
repressive governments in Africa. policies and practices of its own member states
Those who bear the greatest responsibility for towards refugees and asylum-seekers and on counter-
safeguarding global security in the UN Security terrorism. It must be more willing to confront Russia’s
Council proved in 2005 to be among the most willing appalling human rights failures in Chechnya. It must
to paralyze the Council and prevent it from taking also resist pressures from business to lift its arms
effective action on human rights. This was clearly embargo against China. This embargo was originally
AI members from
around the world
take part in the
march which
launched the
World Social
Forum, Porto
Alegre, Brazil,
January 2005. © AI
Amnesty International Report 2006 5

6. A YEAR IN PERSPECTIVE
imposed after the brutal 1989 crackdown in institutions and individual states. That is one of the
Tiananmen Square in order to show the commitment reasons why governments contested Myanmar
of the EU to promoting human rights in China. It becoming the chair of the Association of Southeast
should not be removed until the Chinese government Asian Nations (ASEAN). That is why the EU decided in
has made significant human rights concessions. the end not to reverse the ban on arms sales to China.
The African Union (AU) has developed a progressive That is why India has put human rights considerations
framework on human rights, and played an important as a key element in its approach to Nepal.
role in resolving the crisis in Togo, but it is sadly Both on principled as well as pragmatic grounds,
lacking the capacity and political will to deliver on its human rights should be seen as a critical element of
promises consistently. Hampered by logistical sustainable global and regional security strategies,
constraints and the refusal of the Sudanese not as an optional extra for good times. There is no
government and armed militias to abide by doubt in my mind that the events of 2005 show that
international law, AU human rights monitors could the political and moral authority of governments will
not make a real difference on the ground in Darfur. It be judged more and more by their stand on human
showed no stomach to tackle the appalling human rights at home and abroad. Therein lies one of the
rights situation in Zimbabwe. It failed to convince most important achievements of the human rights
Nigeria or Senegal to co-operate with the efforts to movement in recent times.
bring to justice the former Liberian and Chadian There are clear challenges ahead. Vicious attacks by
presidents Charles Taylor and Hissène Habré. African armed groups, the increased instability in the Middle
leaders do a disservice to themselves and the African East, the mounting anger and isolation of Muslim
people when they use African solidarity to shield each communities around the world, the forgotten
other from justice and accountability. conflicts in Africa and elsewhere, growing inequalities
In the face of institutional lethargy and governments’ and glaring poverty – all are evidence of a dangerous
failures, public opinion, whether in Africa, Europe or and divided world in which human rights are being
elsewhere, is demanding a stronger commitment by daily threatened. But far from being discouraged, I
governments to human rights at home and abroad. believe these challenges make the impetus for action
Thanks to human rights advocates and others, and the even greater.
growing pressure of public opinion, the international As we set our agenda for 2006, AI and its millions of
community is being forced to acknowledge human members and supporters take encouragement from
rights as the framework within which security and the remarkable achievements of the human rights
development should be imagined and implemented. movement and the faith of ordinary people in the
Without respect for human rights, neither security nor power of human rights. We in AI do not underestimate
development can be sustained. that power. We will use it to fight those who peddle
In both international and regional contexts, human fear and hate, to challenge the myopic vision of the
rights are increasingly being acknowledged as a world’s most powerful leaders, and to hold
benchmark for the credibility and authority of governments to account.
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL’S COMMITMENTS
In 2006, Amnesty International is committed to:
■ Resist attacks on human rights standards, in ■ Champion the right of women and girls to be free
particular the absolute prohibition on torture from violence and discrimination.
and ill-treatment. ■ Promote the protection of refugees, displaced people
■ Demand the closure of the Guantánamo Bay detention and migrants.
camp and secret detention centres, and the disclosure ■ Expose the link between poverty and human
of “extraordinary renditions” and “ghost detainees”. rights abuses and hold governments accountable
■ Condemn strongly deliberate attacks on civilians by for poverty eradication through respect for all
armed groups. human rights.
■ Fight to end impunity and to strengthen national ■ Campaign to hold corporate and economic actors
and international justice systems. accountable for human rights abuses.
■ Expose human rights abuses committed during ■ Strive for universal ratification of the seven core
armed conflicts, and campaign for an international human rights treaties fundamental for human
arms trade treaty to control the sale of small arms. security and dignity.
■ Seek a universal moratorium on the death penalty as ■ Support human rights defenders and activists in their
a step towards its abolition. fight for equality and justice.
6 Amnesty International Report 2006

7. GLOBAL OVERVIEW
THE SEARCH FOR failure to respect, protect and fulfil economic, social
and cultural rights was more and more widely seen as a
grave injustice and a denial of human development.
HUMAN SECURITY Whether in response to the urgent needs of people
caught up in natural disasters or the plight of individual
victims of government repression, the activities of
ordinary people often shamed governments into action.
The year 2005 posed some major challenges for Human security requires that individuals and
governments: intractable conflicts, terrorist attacks, communities are safe not only from war, genocide and
the relentless spread of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, the terrorist attack, but also from hunger, disease and
persistence of widespread extreme poverty and natural disaster. Throughout 2005 activists campaigned
natural disasters. for notorious human rights violators and powerful
These challenges should have been met with multinationals to be held more accountable, and for an
responses based on human rights principles. All too end to racism, discrimination and social exclusion.
often they were not. Individually and collectively, Many of the human rights abuses seen in 2005
governments continued to pursue policies that often crossed national boundaries – from torture and
sacrificed human rights for political or economic “renditions” to the negative impact of trade and aid
expediency. policies. While borders were being dismantled in some
At the same time, around the world, millions of aspects of international relations – particularly in the
people lent their weight to calls for greater sphere of economic transactions – they continued to
accountability, more transparency and greater be erected in others, notably migration.
recognition of our shared responsibility to tackle these Recognition of the need for global solutions to
global threats collectively. From the mass mobilization address global threats, from terrorism to bird flu,
around the slogan “make poverty history” to the undoubtedly grew. There were also many reminders of
lawyers and activists who took on powerful states in the necessity for UN reform. These included the
groundbreaking court cases, civil society pressed continued failure of the UN Security Council to hold
governments to deliver on their responsibilities. rogue states accountable, the exposure of high level
The year saw a growing understanding that respect corruption at the UN in the Oil for Food scandal, the
for the rule of law is essential for human security, and silence which greeted the failure to meet the first of the
that undermining human rights principles in the “war UN Millennium Development Goals and the failure of
on terror” is not a route to security. Similarly, the international financial institutions to grapple with the
Kashmiri girls in
a tent camp in
Muzaffarabad,
Pakistan. Aid
was slow in
reaching millions
of people
rendered
homeless by an
earthquake in
October 2005. © REUTERS/Kimimasa Mayama
Amnesty International Report 2006 7

8. GLOBAL OVERVIEW
Afghans in the Panjshir
valley, north of Kabul,
January 2005, move tanks
as part of a disarmament
programme. This flawed
programme was followed by
another to remove arms
from illegal armed groups.
Much of Afghanistan
remained under the control
of factional commanders,
many accused of gross
human rights abuses.
Lawlessness and insecurity
were widespread.
© REUTERS/Ahmad Masood
inequities of trade, aid and debt. The UN’s own world. For example, in India in October, during the run-
leadership proposed a number of far-reaching up to the annual festival season, a series of bomb blasts
initiatives, but the limited outcomes of the UN World in Delhi left 66 people dead and more than 220 injured.
Summit in September revealed how the politics of In Iraq, hundreds of civilians were killed or injured in
narrow national self-interest continued to trump attacks by armed groups throughout the year. In
multilateralist aspirations. Jordan, three bombs in hotels in Amman killed 60
Yet there was progress, notably in the area of people in November. In the UK, bomb attacks on the
consolidating an emerging international justice system public transport system in London in July killed 52
in the form of the International Criminal Court, the ad people and injured hundreds.
hoc international tribunals and increased use of Some of the counter-terrorism tactics adopted by
extraterritorial jurisdiction. After years of calls for governments flouted human rights. Some governments
additional resources for the Office of the UN High even tried to legalize or justify abusive methods that
Commissioner for Human Rights, its budget was have long been deemed illegal by the international
significantly increased. Proposals to replace the much community and can never be justified.
discredited UN Commission on Human Rights with a UN Thousands of men suspected of terrorism remained in
Human Rights Council were under discussion. US-run detention centres around the world without any
Encouraged by these moves, and above all by the prospect of being charged or facing a fair trial. At the end
growing strength and diversity of the world’s human of 2005, some 14,000 people detained by the USA and its
rights community, AI renewed its commitment to allies during military and security operations in Iraq and
globalizing justice as a means of realizing rights for all Afghanistan were still held in US military detention
in the search for human security. centres in Afghanistan, Guantánamo Bay in Cuba and
Iraq. In Guantánamo, dozens of detainees staged hunger
TORTURE AND TERROR strikes to protest against the conditions of their
The challenges that the human rights movement faced detention and were force fed.
in the wake of the attacks in the USA on 11 September Terrorism suspects were held by other countries too,
2001 continued. Governments continued to promote some of them detained for long periods without charge
the rhetoric that human rights are an obstacle to, or trial, including in Egypt, Jordan, the UK and Yemen.
rather than an essential precondition for, human Others languished in prison facing the threat of
security. However, thanks to the efforts of human deportation to countries where torture was routine.
rights activists and others, there was growing criticism Many detainees were subjected to torture and other
of and resistance to government efforts to subordinate ill-treatment.
human rights to security concerns. During 2005, it became increasingly clear how far
Despite the governmental resources and efforts many countries had colluded or participated in
committed to combating terrorism, the year saw a rising supporting abusive US policies and practices in the
number of attacks by individuals and armed groups “war on terror”, including torture, ill-treatment, secret
espousing a wide range of causes in many countries. and unlimited detentions and unlawful cross-border
Deliberate attacks on civilians, breaching the most transfers. Many governments faced demands for
basic human rights principles, were seen around the greater accountability and there were key judicial
8 Amnesty International Report 2006

9. GLOBAL OVERVIEW
decisions in defence of basic human rights principles. Germany, Italy and Sweden into the role of
Even within the US government itself, tensions government officials in specific rendition cases; in
emerged over the curtailment of fundamental liberties. Spain, an investigation was opened by the Spanish
Information continued to emerge in 2005 that helped authorities into the use of Spanish airports and
to expose some of the secret and abusive practices airspace by aircraft operated by the US Central
developed by states in the name of fighting terrorism. Intelligence Agency (CIA). In Iceland, Ireland and the
For example, further information came to light about Netherlands, government officials or activists called
the illegal transfer of terrorism suspects from one for official inquiries.
country to another without any judicial process – a Investigations by journalists, AI and others in 2005
practice known in the USA as “extraordinary left little doubt that the US government was running a
renditions”. It was revealed that the USA had, through system of covert prisons, known as “black sites”. There
this practice, transferred many detainees to countries were persistent reports that the CIA had operated such
known to use torture and other ill-treatment in secret detention centres in Afghanistan, Iraq, Jordan,
interrogations, including Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Pakistan, Thailand, Uzbekistan and other unknown
Saudi Arabia and Syria. Such transfers effectively locations in Europe and elsewhere, including on the
outsourced torture. British Indian Ocean territory of Diego Garcia. About
What renditions mean in reality was highlighted in three dozen detainees deemed to have high
2005 by the case of Muhammad al-Assad, a Yemeni intelligence value had “disappeared” in US custody, and
living in Tanzania, who was arrested at his home in Dar- were allegedly being held in black sites, completely
es-Salaam on 26 December 2003. He was hooded, outside the protection of the law.
handcuffed and flown to an unknown destination. It In November the Council of Europe launched an
was the beginning of a 16-month ordeal of investigation into reports that the network of US secret
unacknowledged detention and interrogation, in which prisons and involvement in renditions included sites in
he had no contact with the outside world and no idea Europe. AI strongly endorsed calls to European
where he was. governments to investigate such allegations by officials
He was held for a year in a secret facility where he of the Council of Europe, one of whom declared: “not
was subjected to extreme sensory deprivation. His knowing is not good enough regardless of whether
masked guards never spoke a word to him, but ignorance is intentional or accidental”.
communicated their instructions in sign language. At a conference jointly organized by AI and the UK-
There was a constant low-level hum of white noise. based NGO Reprieve in London in November, former
Artificial light was kept on 24 hours a day. Muhammad detainees and families of detainees held in
al-Assad’s father was told by Tanzanian officials that Guantánamo or in UK facilities testified to the human
his son had been turned over to US custody, and that no cost of indefinite detention without charge or trial.
one knew where he was. His family heard nothing of Speaking of the trauma of the families of those
him until he was flown to Yemen in May 2005, where he detained, Nadja Dizdarevic, the wife of Boudelaa Hadz
was imprisoned, apparently at the request of the US of Bosnia and Herzegovina who has been held at
authorities. Muhammad al-Assad was still in custody in Guantánamo for four years, said:
Yemen without charge or trial at the end of 2005. “It is difficult to be a mother to my children
Other testimonies from former detainees collected because I have not enough time for them and I am
during 2005 by AI were shockingly similar to the everything that they have… At night after I put my
experience described by Muhammad al-Assad. Two children to sleep I start my work and while the
other Yemeni men were transferred to Yemen by the whole world sleeps in peace I tirelessly write
USA in May 2005, where they remained in custody complaints, requests, letters, learn the laws and
without charge or trial at the end of the year. In human rights conventions so that I could continue
separate interviews with AI in June, September and my struggle for the life and release of my husband
October 2005, all three described being held in and the others.”
isolation for 16 to 18 months in secret detention centres Governments have over the years requested
run by US officials. The interviews conducted by AI “diplomatic assurances” from countries known to use
provided strong new evidence of the US network of torture in order to allow them to deport people there.
secret detention centres around the world. In 2005 the UK government sought to rely on
In December 2005, after the UK Foreign Secretary diplomatic assurances and concluded Memorandums
said that he was not aware of any renditions flights of Understanding with Jordan, Lebanon and Libya, and
refuelling or using other facilities in the UK since was seeking similar agreements with Algeria, Egypt and
early 2001, AI published details of three flights that other states in the region. AI opposed the use of such
refuelled in the UK, hours after transferring detainees “diplomatic assurances” as they erode the absolute
to countries where they risked “disappearance”, prohibition of torture, and are inherently unreliable
torture or other ill-treatment. Information and unenforceable.
increasingly came to light in 2005, partly because Evidence that many governments had been engaging
evidence was uncovered by victims themselves and in, conniving in or acquiescing to the outsourcing of
partly due to governmental inquiries, that other torture underlined the need for greater transnational
European countries may have been similarly involved accountability in a world where human rights
in secret transfers. Inquiries were conducted in responsibilities do not stop at the borders of a state.
Amnesty International Report 2006 9

10. GLOBAL OVERVIEW
The outsourcing of torture meant that the USA and after unfair trials and sentenced to long prison terms
some of its European allies, which had for decades for allegedly participating in the protest.
unreservedly condemned torture at all times and in all In China, the authorities continued to use the global
circumstances, openly defied the absolute ban against “war on terror” to justify harsh repression in the
torture. The implication was that they believed that Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR), resulting
some torture and ill-treatment was justifiable in the in serious human rights violations against the ethnic
“war on terror”. Uighur community. While China’s latest “strike-hard”
The US administration continued its attempts to campaign against crime had subsided in most parts of
redefine and justify certain forms of torture or other the country, it was officially renewed in the XUAR in
ill-treatment in the name of “national security” and May 2005 to eradicate “terrorism, separatism and
public order. When questioned about the US position religious extremism”. It resulted in the closure of
on the treatment of prisoners, the US Attorney unofficial mosques and arrests of imams. Uighur
General, Alberto Gonzales, made it clear that his nationalists, including peaceful activists, continued to
government would define torture in its own way. be detained or imprisoned. Those charged with serious
Although the US leadership denied that the “separatist” or “terrorist” offences were at risk of
government condoned torture, evidence emerged that lengthy imprisonment or execution. Those attempting
the CIA used “water boarding” (simulated drowning), to pass information abroad about the extent of the
prolonged shackling or induced hypothermia on crackdown faced arbitrary detention and
prisoners held in secret prisons. Some people within imprisonment. The authorities continued to accuse
the US administration apparently continued to believe Uighur activists of terrorism without providing credible
that certain forms of torture and ill-treatment evidence for such charges.
practices were acceptable if used to gather intelligence In both Malaysia and Singapore, where national
to counter terrorism. However, growing challenges to security legislation allows prolonged detention
these policies both within the USA – where at the end of without charge of terrorism suspects, dozens of
the year the US Senate passed legislation affirming the individuals remained in detention under Internal
ban on torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading Security Acts without charge or trial.
treatment – and among the USA’s allies in the “war on In Kenya and certain other African countries, the
terror” offered hope of a more principled approach to rhetoric of counter-terrorism was employed to justify
human rights and security in the future. repressive legislation which was used to silence human
Human rights abuses in the context of counter- rights defenders and obstruct their work.
terrorism policies were not confined to the USA and its The exposure during 2005 of the unlawful practices
European allies. In Uzbekistan, the authorities claimed of governments in the name of countering terrorism
that people taking part in a demonstration in Andizhan mobilized and affirmed the growing demands for
at which peaceful demonstrators were killed had been accountability. The determined work of human rights
coerced to do so by quot;terroristsquot;. Subsequently, more activists, lawyers, journalists and many others helped
than 70 people were convicted of quot;terroristquot; offences to lift the blanket of secrecy to expose states that
AI INTERVENES IN COURT CASES be at risk of torture or ill-treatment is and should remain
AI continued to seek the legal implementation of absolute. Four states intervened to argue that this
international human rights standards by intervening in prohibition is not absolute, but may be subject to a
cases before national and international courts. “balancing” test against such interests as countering
Preventing the erosion of the absolute prohibition terrorism. At the end of 2005, the decision of the Court
against torture in the context of the “war on terror” was was still pending.
the objective of two interventions in 2005. As part of its work against the death penalty, AI
In a case before the UK’s highest court, the Appellate intervened in a case concerning Guatemala before the
Committee of the House of Lords, AI coordinated a Inter-American Court of Human Rights.
coalition of 14 organizations in a joint intervention to Guatemala, which ratified the American Convention
challenge the admissibility as evidence in judicial on Human Rights in 1978, sought to extend the use of
proceedings of information extracted as a result of torture. the death penalty in 1996 to make it mandatory for
The government had contended that it should be allowed kidnapping. AI argued that the death penalty could
to introduce into judicial proceedings information not be extended beyond the legislation applicable
obtained from abroad allegedly as a result of torture, on when Guatemala ratified the Convention and that as a
the ground that no torture had been committed or result of a law passed in 2000, Guatemala had failed
supported by UK agents. The Law Lords ruled that such to guarantee the right of a convicted person to seek
information was inadmissible in UK courts. pardon, amnesty or commutation of sentence. In
In a case before the European Court of Human September the Inter-American Court of Human Rights
Rights, AI intervened with six other NGOs to argue that ordered Guatemala to suspend the death sentence in
the prohibition on the transfer (refoulement) of a person this case, and not to execute anyone condemned to
from a state party to the European Convention on death for the crime of kidnapping under the current
Human Rights to another state where he or she would legislation.
10 Amnesty International Report 2006

11. GLOBAL OVERVIEW
© REUTERS
Ninety people were
killed and at least 100
were injured when car
bombs exploded in the
tourist resort of Sharm
el-Sheikh, Egypt, on
23 July 2005.
transferred, detained and tortured those they The failure of governments and armed groups alike
suspected of terrorism. to seek the political solutions needed to end conflict
The year 2005 also witnessed some successes in the and to abide by negotiated settlements took a heavy
struggle by civil society to stop the trend towards toll on the human rights of ordinary people. Some
states justifying, on security grounds, the use of governments sought advantage from conflicts in other
information extracted through torture. The year ended countries, often arming one side or the other, while
with a major judicial victory when the UK government disclaiming responsibility. When the international
lost its legal battle in the domestic courts to reverse the community mustered enough support to put pressure
centuries-old ban against the admissibility of on warring factions through the UN Security Council or
information obtained as a result of torture in judicial regional bodies, the parties often failed to deliver on
proceedings. AI had intervened in the case, arguing their commitments, as seen in Sudan and Côte d’Ivoire.
that the absolute prohibition of torture and ill- In their quest for political or economic gain,
treatment under international law prevented such use. government forces and armed groups often showed
The attempts by governments to weaken the ban on total disregard for the civilian population caught in
torture and other ill-treatment compromised both the their path and even specifically targeted civilians as
moral integrity and practical effectiveness of efforts to part of their military strategy. The large majority of
combat terrorism. 2005 showed the absolute necessity casualties in armed conflicts in 2005 were civilians.
of holding governments accountable to the rule of law, Women and girls were exposed to the violence that
and reconfirmed that an independent and impartial accompanies any war and were also subject to
judiciary plays a vital role in preventing the erosion of particular, often sexual, abuse. In Papua New Guinea
fundamental safeguards and securing respect for girls were reportedly exchanged for guns by their male
human rights. relatives. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo
large numbers of women and girls were abducted and
CONFLICT AND ITS AFTERMATH raped by armed combatants. In nearly three quarters
The number of armed conflicts around the world of the conflicts around the world, children were
continued to fall, but the toll of human suffering did recruited as soldiers.
not. Continuing violence fed on a steady diet of The world’s attention focused largely on Iraq, Sudan,
unresolved grievances arising from years of and Israel/Occupied Territories while prolonged
destructive conflict and the failure to hold perpetrators conflicts in Afghanistan, Chechnya/Russian
of abuse to account. It was sustained by the easy Federation, Nepal, northern Uganda and other corners
availability of weaponry; the marginalization and of the world were largely ignored or forgotten.
impoverishment of entire populations; systemic and In Iraq, US-led multinational forces, armed groups
widespread corruption; and the failure to address and the transitional government all failed to respect
impunity for gross violations of human rights and the rights of civilians. Armed groups deliberately
humanitarian law. attacked civilians causing great loss of life. They
Millions of people faced violence and hardship in targeted humanitarian organizations and tortured and
conflicts caused or prolonged by the collective failures killed hostages. The killing of two defence lawyers
of political leaders, armed groups and to some extent the involved in Saddam Hussain’s trial highlighted the
international community. Millions more endured chronic insecurity in the country. This insecurity
insecurity, hunger and homelessness in the aftermath of drastically curtailed the ability of many Iraqi women
conflicts, without the necessary levels of support from and girls to go about their daily lives in safety, and a
the international community to rebuild their lives. number of Iraqi and non-Iraqi women politicians,
Amnesty International Report 2006 11

12. GLOBAL OVERVIEW
ARMS CONTROL The global arms trade remained largely
Tackling the proliferation and misuse of weapons unaccountable and most transfers were shrouded in
remained a key element of AI’s efforts to combat secrecy. Accurate and up-to-date statistics were
human rights violations, whether committed in the therefore difficult to obtain. However, the information
course of conflict, crime or security operations. available suggested some striking trends. Most of the
The Control Arms Campaign – launched in October world’s military equipment and services were traded
2003 by AI, Oxfam International and the International by a relatively small number of countries. According to
Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA) – achieved an authoritative report by the US Congress, 35
some notable successes in 2005. countries exported some 90 per cent of the world’s
By the end of the year, about 50 governments had arms in terms of value. By 2005, more than 68 per
declared their support for an enforceable international cent of arms exports were going to countries in the
Arms Trade Treaty – a key demand of the Control Arms global South.
Campaign. An arms control treaty based on Six of the eight G8 countries are among the top 10
international human rights and humanitarian law largest global arms exporters, and all eight export
would save lives, prevent suffering and protect large amounts of major conventional weapons or small
livelihoods. Costa Rica, Finland, Kenya, Norway and arms to developing countries. A series of loopholes
the UK, among others, promised to back the treaty. In and weaknesses in arms export controls, common
October, the European Union (EU) Council of Foreign across most G8 countries, meant that the G8’s
Ministers called for global support for such a treaty. commitments to poverty reduction, stability and
There was considerable backing from governments for human rights were undermined. Arms exports from G8
the UK position that separate UN negotiations on a countries reached some of the world’s poorest and
treaty that would cover all conventional arms should most conflict-ridden countries. Such countries
begin in late 2006. included Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the
At the UN, governments agreed on a global Congo (DRC), the Philippines and Sudan.
standard for marking and tracing small arms in In 2005 large quantities of weapons and ammunition
October 2005. This went some way towards fulfilling from the Balkans and Eastern Europe continued to flow
the proposal put forward by the Control Arms into Africa’s conflict-ridden Great Lakes region.
Campaign for a global system to track small arms and Shipments to the DRC continued, despite a peace
to hold arms traders accountable. However, not only process initiated in 2002 and a UN arms embargo.
did the agreement exclude ammunition, but it was not Weapons and ammunition supplied to the
legally binding. governments of the DRC, Rwanda and Uganda were
subsequently distributed to armed groups and militia
in the eastern DRC involved in war crimes and crimes
against humanity. In addition to committing other
crimes, these armed groups systematically and brutally
raped and sexually abused tens of thousands of
women. Arms dealers, brokers and transporters from
many countries including Albania, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Israel,
Russia, Serbia, South Africa, the UK and the USA were
involved in these arms transfers, highlighting once
again the key importance of regulating the operations
of arms brokers and dealers. By the end of 2005 only
about 30 states had laws regulating such brokers.
Hundreds of thousands of people were killed using
small arms in 2005. In Haiti, for example, small arms
were used by armed groups and former soldiers to
kidnap, sexually abuse and kill Haitians with impunity.
© Jo Wright Without disarmament and effective justice for the
victims, Haiti risked sinking further into crisis.
A young man displays his weapons outside a favela Women paid a high price for the unregulated trade
(shanty town) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The level of in small arms, both in their homes and in their
armed violence at the hands of drug gangs, police or communities. The presence of a gun in the household
vigilante “death squads” was extremely high, has been shown to vastly increase the risk that
especially in the favelas. Although the government violence in the home will have fatal consequences. In
took steps to curb the proliferation of small arms, a 2005, the Control Arms Campaign called on
referendum in October 2005 over a ban on gun sales governments to address inadequate firearms
was defeated. The result was widely attributed to regulations, poor law enforcement and widespread
popular anxiety about insecurity and lack of faith in discrimination which put women at heightened risk
the police’s ability to provide protection. of violence.
12 Amnesty International Report 2006

13. GLOBAL OVERVIEW
Internally displaced
Sudanese children
from Mahli village
in southern Darfur
region collect
rainwater to be
used for drinking
and cooking. In
April 2005 they
were living in an
improvised camp
without the most
basic facilities.
© REUTERS/Moses Muiruri
activists and journalists were abducted or murdered. by Palestinian armed groups, as compared to more than
During 2005 evidence mounted that the US-led 700 Palestinians and 109 Israelis killed in 2004.
multinational forces and foreign private security Atrocities continued in Darfur, Sudan, despite
guards committed grave human rights violations, considerable efforts throughout 2005 by the
including killing unarmed civilians and torturing international community to reach a political solution
prisoners. The failure to mount effective investigations to end the violence. The Sudanese government and its
into these abuses and to hold those responsible to allied militias (Janjawid) killed and injured civilians in
account undermined claims by the occupying forces bombing raids and attacks on villages, raped women
and the transitional authorities that they were and girls, and forced villagers from their lands. Abuses
restoring the rule of law in the country. by the opposition armed groups escalated as their
The removal of some 8,000 Israeli settlers from the command structures broke down under increased
Gaza Strip under the so-called disengagement plan factionalism and in-fighting between rival leaders. The
diverted attention from Israel’s continuing expansion violations in Darfur were described by the UN
of Israeli settlements and its construction of a 600km Secretary-General and UN agencies as staggering in
fence/wall in the occupied West Bank, where some scale and harrowing in nature with widespread and
450,000 Israeli settlers lived in violation of systematic human rights abuses, violations of
international law. The presence of Israeli settlements humanitarian law, forced displacement of millions of
throughout the West Bank was the main reason for the people and looming hunger. In early 2005 the UN
stringent restrictions (military checkpoints and negotiated a peace agreement, raising hopes of a “peace
blockades) imposed by the Israeli army on the dividend”. The African Union deployed forces, but their
movement of some 2 million Palestinians between mandate to protect civilians was limited and they were
towns and villages within the occupied West Bank. further hampered by the relatively small number of
These restrictions on freedom of movement paralysed troops deployed and the lack of logistical support. The
the Palestinian economy and curtailed Palestinians’ peace did not hold. A UN Commission of Inquiry found
access to their land, their places of work, and to that the government and the Janjawid militia were
education and health facilities. The resulting increased responsible for crimes under international law and the
poverty, unemployment, frustration and lack of case of Darfur was referred by the Security Council to
prospects for a predominantly young population the International Criminal Court. Although the
contributed to the spiral of violence, both against International Criminal Court began investigations, by
Israelis and within Palestinian society, including growing the end of 2005, it had not been granted access to Sudan.
lawlessness in the street and violence in the home. Similar patterns were seen in many other conflicts
However, the year saw a significant reduction in the that received less international attention during 2005:
number of killings by both sides: some 190 Palestinians, targeting of civilians, sexual abuse particularly of
including around 50 children, were killed by Israeli women and girls, the use of child soldiers, and a
forces, and 50 Israelis, including six children, were killed pattern of impunity. These conflicts were fought in
Amnesty International Report 2006 13

14. GLOBAL OVERVIEW
INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE continued to benefit from a national amnesty. AI was
2005 saw some significant developments towards concerned about the composition of the courts and
bringing to justice those responsible for crimes under whether the Cambodian judges would have the
international law, including genocide, crimes against necessary training and experience, given the serious
humanity, war crimes, torture, extrajudicial executions weaknesses in the Cambodian judicial system.
and enforced disappearances. However, there was also National courts in a number of countries also
continuing widespread impunity in national courts in contributed to the effort to end impunity by
the states where crimes were committed, as well as investigating and prosecuting crimes committed in
only limited use of universal jurisdiction by courts in other countries using universal jurisdiction legislation.
other states. People were convicted of crimes under international
In October, the International Criminal Court (ICC) law in Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Spain and the
announced its first ever arrest warrants for five leaders UK. Canada opened its first case under its universal
of the Lord’s Resistance Army for crimes against jurisdiction legislation of 2000, charging Désiré
humanity and war crimes committed in northern Munyaneza with genocide, crimes against humanity
Uganda. AI called on the ICC and the Ugandan and war crimes committed in 1994 in Rwanda.
government to ensure that tens of thousands of other In September, Belgium issued a request for Senegal
crimes committed during the conflict were to extradite the former president of Chad, Hissène
investigated and prosecuted, including crimes by Habré, to face prosecution for the murder of at least
government forces. AI urged the Ugandan government 40,000 people, systematic torture, arbitrary arrests
to repeal an amnesty law which prevents Ugandan and other crimes, but Senegal referred the matter to
courts from addressing these crimes. the African Union. In November, former Peruvian
The ICC continued to investigate crimes committed president Alberto Fujimori was arrested in Chile. He
in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but did not had been shielded from prosecution for extrajudicial
issue any arrest warrants during 2005. It also executions and “disappearances” by Japan, which
undertook preliminary analyses of eight other refused to extradite him to Peru.
situations. However, the President and Prosecutor of The long-awaited trial of Saddam Hussain started in
the ICC suggested that resource constraints would Iraq in October. Although the opportunity to obtain
limit its ability to undertake any new investigations justice for some of the crimes committed under his
until the current ones were completed. regime was welcome, AI had serious concerns about
While the UN Security Council’s referral to the ICC the lack of fair trial guarantees in the statute of the
of crimes committed in Darfur, Sudan, was a positive tribunal, denial of proper access to counsel and the
step in addressing impunity, it was disappointing that provision of the death penalty.
the Security Council, as part of a compromise to ensure Despite progress on international justice, much more
US support, included in its resolution a provision to remained to be done to address impunity. 2005 was the
exempt nationals of states not party to the Rome 10th anniversary of the massacre of around 8,000
Statute of the ICC (other than Sudan) from the Bosnian Muslims after the UN “safe area” of Srebrenica
jurisdiction of the Court. In AI’s view, this provision fell to the Bosnian Serb Army in 1995. While crimes
creates double standards of justice and violates the committed in Srebrenica have been recognized as
UN Charter and other international law. amounting to genocide by the International Criminal
The struggle against impunity was reinforced by the Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, the women of
work of other international and internationalized Srebrenica whose husbands and sons were killed are still
courts, notwithstanding some constraints and waiting for most of the perpetrators to be brought to
setbacks. The Special Court for Sierra Leone advanced justice. In June, AI voiced concerns to the UN Security
in three trials involving nine suspects charged with war Council about its efforts to close the International
crimes and crimes against humanity. However, the Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia without
Sierra Leone government took no steps to end an establishing effective national courts to deal with the
amnesty, part of the 1999 Lomé peace accord, which tens of thousands of crimes that the Tribunal was not
prevents prosecution of all others in Sierra Leone able to investigate and prosecute. (There were similar
responsible for crimes under international law. concerns over the future of the International Criminal
Ignoring calls from the international community, Tribunal for Rwanda.)
Nigeria continued, with the apparent support of the At the international level, the courts and tribunals
African Union, to refuse to surrender former Liberian require the full support of states, in terms both of
president Charles Taylor to the Special Court for Sierra providing resources and of exercising the political will
Leone, where he has been charged with crimes against to hand over suspects. At the national level, obstacles
humanity and war crimes against the population of to prosecutions, such as amnesties, have to be
Sierra Leone. removed, and where national justice systems have
Some progress was made in establishing special been destroyed by conflict long-term rebuilding plans
courts – Extraordinary Chambers – for Cambodia. are urgently needed. While the increase in universal
These were expected to try no more than half a dozen jurisdiction cases in 2005 was welcome, states still
people for crimes committed while the Khmer Rouge have to ensure that they do not provide a safe haven
were in power, while tens of thousands of others for people accused of crimes under international law.
14 Amnesty International Report 2006

15. GLOBAL OVERVIEW
both urban and rural settings, generally using small committed by the security forces and Maoist groups.
arms and light weaponry. Often diverse pockets of Following a mission to Nepal in the immediate
violence erupted, with little chain of command or aftermath of the emergency, AI called on the
accountability. In some cases, governments armed governments of India, the UK and the USA, Nepal’s
civilians in an effort to distance themselves from main arms suppliers, to suspend all military supplies to
accountability or culpability for abuses. Nepal until the government took clear steps to halt
In Colombia, after 40 years of internal armed human rights violations. It made a similar call to other
conflict, serious human rights abuses by all parties governments, including Belgium, Germany, South
remained at critical levels. A law was passed Africa and France (which supplied crucial components
providing a framework for disarmament and for helicopters assembled and delivered by India).
demobilization of paramilitaries and armed groups. However, although some governments responded
However, there were fears that the legislation would positively to the appeal for a suspension of military
allow the most serious human rights abusers to enjoy supplies, China continued to supply arms and
impunity, while human rights violations continued to ammunition to Nepal.
be committed in areas where paramilitaries had The failure to resolve manifest injustices, to address
supposedly demobilized. In addition, government impunity and to control the spread of arms led to
policies designed to reintegrate members of illegal continuing insecurity and violence in many countries
armed groups into civilian life risked recycling them trying to emerge from conflict. Even in countries where
into the conflict. steps towards peace had been agreed, there was often
Despite claims that the situation was normalizing, little political will or rigour to ensure that agreements
Russian and Chechen security forces conducted were respected and faithfully implemented.
targeted raids in Chechnya during which they In Afghanistan, lawlessness, insecurity and
committed serious human rights violations. Women persecution continued to blight the lives of millions of
were reportedly subjected to gender-based violence, Afghans. Factional commanders – many suspected of
including rape and threats of rape, by Russian and having committed gross human rights crimes in
Chechen soldiers. Chechen armed opposition groups previous years – wielded public authority
committed abuses including targeted attacks on independently of central government control. Absence
civilians and indiscriminate attacks. There was also of the rule of law left many victims of human rights
violence and unrest in other North Caucasus violations without redress, and the criminal justice
republics, increasingly accompanied by reports of system barely functioned. Thousands of civilians were
human rights violations. killed in attacks by US and Coalition Forces and by
In Nepal, the human rights situation deteriorated armed groups.
sharply under a state of emergency imposed in In Côte d’Ivoire, where a disastrous decline in the
February 2005, with thousands of politically motivated economy precipitated a conflict in a country until
arrests, strict media censorship and atrocities recently regarded as one of the most stable in West
A Bosnian woman cries over
the coffin of her son, who was a
victim of the 1995 Srebrenica
massacre by Bosnian Serb
forces. On 11 July 2005, 610
identified victims were buried
at a memorial ceremony. Their
bodies were among those
found in more than 60 mass
graves around the town. © REUTERS/Damir Sagolj
Amnesty International Report 2006 15

16. GLOBAL OVERVIEW
REFUGEES, ASYLUM-SEEKERS AND internally displaced persons remained unchanged at
INTERNALLY DISPLACED PEOPLE 25 million in 2004, many of whom had been displaced
In recent years, the number of refugees worldwide has for years. States continued to be reluctant to allow
fallen significantly, but the reality in 2005 was more international observers to monitor the conditions and
complex and far bleaker than the numbers suggested. human rights situation of internally displaced people
In 2004, the last year for which figures were in their countries. The UN Secretary-General’s March
available, the number of refugees recorded was the 2005 report on the implementation of the Millennium
lowest in almost 25 years. The decline in refugee Development Goals, In Larger Freedom, recommended
numbers was largely because of the numbers of strengthening the inter-agency response to the
refugees who returned to their countries of origin, but protection and assistance needs of internally
not all were able to return to their homes and villages displaced people. The resulting new inter-agency
of origin, and many returned in conditions that were “cluster approach” promised to deliver greater
not voluntary, safe or dignified. accountability, but it remained to be seen whether it
In all, more than 5 million refugees were returned – would deliver more predictable, robust and coherent
not all voluntarily – to their countries of origin protection to the millions of internally displaced
between 2001 and 2004. Many of the returns took people around the world.
place to countries such as Afghanistan, Angola, For refugees living in camps, conditions worsened
Burundi, Iraq and Liberia where their safety and in 2005, particularly as many faced reductions in
dignity could not necessarily be guaranteed. Some food rations – a sign of the failure of the world’s
returns breached the fundamental principle of non- governments to fulfil their international obligations
refoulement – the cornerstone of international to share the responsibility of protecting and assisting
refugee protection – that no one should be returned refugees. This often resulted in an increase in violence
against their will to a situation where they would be at against women, including domestic violence, and
risk of serious human rights abuse. sexual exploitation of women who were forced to
The focus on numbers by both the international exchange sex for food rations as their only means of
community and individual governments often led to survival. Refugees continued to be denied freedom of
the rights of refugees being disregarded. In many movement outside camps and so were unable to earn
countries, asylum-seekers were excluded from seeking a living, raising serious questions about the impact of
protection, either physically or by procedures that long-term encampment policies on the rights and
failed to provide a fair hearing. In Greece, for example, lives of refugees. In urban settings, many refugees
in 2004 just 11 asylum-seekers were recognized as were denied legal status and the right to work, forcing
refugees and 3,731 were rejected. The refusal rate in them into destitution or into a dangerous search for
fast-track asylum procedures in the UK was 99 per survival elsewhere, sometimes by travelling to other
cent. In South Africa some asylum-seekers were countries.
arbitrarily deported because of corrupt practices at For governments keen to minimize their obligations
refugee reception centres and borders. In China to protect refugees, the rhetoric of the “war on terror”
hundreds, possibly thousands, of North Korean provided yet another excuse to increase border
asylum-seekers were arrested and expelled with no controls. In many countries, politicians and the media
opportunity to claim asylum. fuelled xenophobia and racism, falsely linking
While the number of people crossing international refugees with terrorism and criminality and whipping
borders in search of protection fell, the number of up hostility towards asylum-seekers.
© Refugee Solidarity Committee
A container used by the Greek authorities to detain irregular migrants, Chios island, April 2005.
16 Amnesty International Report 2006

17. GLOBAL OVERVIEW
The Israeli wall in al-Ram,
near Jerusalem, October
2005. Palestinians were
increasingly confined to
restricted areas and
denied freedom of
movement between
towns and villages
within the Occupied
Territories. Many were
cut off from their
farmlands and their
workplaces, and denied
access to education and
health care facilities.
© REUTERS/Mahfouz Abu Turk
Africa, easy access to small arms contributed to Polisario Front, which demands independence for
violations of the agreed ceasefire, inter-ethnic Western Sahara, released 404 Moroccan prisoners of
conflict in the west of the country, xenophobia and war who had been held for well over two decades
the ongoing use of child soldiers. Despite efforts by despite the formal cessation of hostilities 14 years ago.
the African Union to restore peace and security in the Efforts to overcome impunity moved forward with the
country, the disarmament, demobilization and prospect of Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) leaders being
reintegration process remained deadlocked. In brought before the International Criminal Court
October, AI publicized reports of small arms charged with war crimes in northern Uganda.
proliferation, re-circulation and possible new arms
transfers to both sides of the conflict despite a UN- FUELLED BY FEAR: SUFFERING DUE TO IDENTITY
imposed arms embargo. The blurring of cultural boundaries often associated
In several post-conflict countries the dominant with globalization, far from overcoming deep divisions
culture of impunity – the failure to bring to justice based on identity, was accompanied by continued, and
those responsible for human rights abuses – fostered some believe increasing, racism, discrimination and
continued cycles of violence. In Sri Lanka, for example, xenophobia. Across the world, people were attacked
the security situation deteriorated in 2005 as both the and deprived of basic human rights because of their
government and the armed opposition failed to make gender, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation and
the human rights guarantees in the ceasefire other similar aspects of their identity, or combinations
agreement work. Tensions over scarce resources were of these identities.
exacerbated by internal displacement resulting from In the context of the “war on terror”, 2005 saw
the conflict and the tsunami. continued polarization along identity lines in an
The struggle to overcome impunity can last for increasingly intolerant and fearful world. Many
decades, or even generations. The survivors of Japan’s people were targeted for discrimination and violence
system of military sexual slavery during World War II – because of their identity – Muslims, those identified as
the so-called “comfort women” – have persistently Muslims, other minorities, migrants and refugees all
called for recognition and justice for more than half a fell victim. Some Muslim communities in Europe and
century, their numbers dwindling with time. Once elsewhere said they felt under siege: they feared and
again in 2005 the Japanese government refused to abhorred the bombings, but also experienced growing
accept responsibility, formally apologize, or provide racism, fostered in part by some governments and
official compensation for the suffering endured by media broadly linking the “terrorist threat” with
thousands of women. “foreigners” and “Muslims”. On top of this, many
There were some exceptions to this generally grim suffered the consequences of counter-terrorism
landscape, including elections in a number of states measures that were discriminatory in law and practice
emerging from conflict. Greater stability in Sierra as young Muslim males continued to be portrayed as
Leone allowed the UN forces to leave the country. The “typical terrorists”.
Amnesty International Report 2006 17