BEIRUT – An international rights group on Thursday called on governments not to ignore human rights when they counter serious security and terrorism challenges.
The Human Rights Watch (HRW) Executive Director, Kenneth Roth said in an annual report.
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“Human rights violations played a major role in spawning or aggravating many of today’s crises.
“Protecting human rights and ensuring democratic accountability are key to resolving them,’’ Roth said.
The 656-page World Report 2015, launched at a press conference in Beirut, reviewed human rights practices in over 90 countries.
The report said the rise of the extremist Islamic State group is among the global challenges that have sparked a subordination of human rights.
“But ISIS did not emerge out of nowhere,” the report said, using an acronym for the jihadist militia that controls large swathes in Syria and Iraq.
“In addition to the security vacuum left by the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, the sectarian and abusive policies of the Iraqi and Syrian governments and international indifference to them, have been important factors in fueling ISIS.”
The report criticized Syrian President Bashar al-Assad whom it said has deliberately and viciously attacked civilians in opposition-held areas.
“ Syrian regime use of indiscriminate weapons most notoriously, barrel bombs has made life almost intolerable for civilians,’’ the report said.
According to activists, over 200,000 people have been killed in Syria’s nearly-four-year conflict.
HRW said the U.S. and its allies had allowed their military action against Islamic State to overshadow efforts to push al-Assad’s regime to end its abuses. (dpa/NAN)
