Central and South American countries throughout last year witnessed rampant and gross human rights violations to a worrying degree, a prominent rights group said in an annual report
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th February, 2020) Central and South American countries throughout last year witnessed rampant and gross human rights violations to a worrying degree, a prominent rights group said in an annual report.
According to Amnesty International's human rights regional assessments for the previous year, governments and security forces increasingly resorted to violence and arbitrary detentions to suppress the plentiful protests across the continent.
"2019 brought a renewed assault on human rights across much of the Americas, with intolerant and increasingly authoritarian leaders turning to ever-more violent tactics to stop people from protesting or seeking safety in another country," Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty International, said in a foreword to the report.
Guevara-Rosas added that young people's willingness to stand up and demand change, triggering broader demonstrations, was reason for hope for future generations.
More than 200 people were killed in protests between Haiti, Venezuela, Chile and others, while Colombia proved the world's deadliest nation for human rights defenders, with 106 killings.
The Nobel peace prize laureate organization also noted a worrying increase in gun violence in the United States, Mexico and Brazil, attributing the rise to lax gun control laws.
Attacks against and murders of indigenous peoples are also on the rise in the naturally rich region, where a clash between economic exploitation and preservation are spilling over into bloodshed, Amnesty wrote. Brazil, Peru and Ecuador are examples where logging and cattle farming businesses are resulting in land seizures of peaceful local tribes.
Amnesty International also described restrictive migration policies by US President Donald Trump's administration as dangerous for motivating other countries in the region to increasingly turn away refugees from violence and economic hardships.
"As we enter a new decade, we cannot afford for the governments of the Americas to keep repeating the mistakes of the past. Instead of restricting people's hard-fought rights, they must build upon them and work towards creating a region where everyone can live in freedom and safety," Guevara-Rosas concluded in the opening statement.
South America continues to experience turmoil as regime change in Bolivia and protests for better economic conditions have gripped Chile and Venezuela while devastating wildfires in the Amazon forest caused worldwide outcry against Brazilian President Jair Bolsanaro's environmental policies.
