Amnesty International, a London-based non-governmental organization focused on human rights that has over 7 million members and supporters around the world is accusing President Donald Trump of creating a year of “hate-filled rhetoric” through his immigration policy.
CNN reports that the group said in its annual audit of human rights around the world that the Trump administration’s decision to implement a travel ban that barred people from several Muslim-majority countries was “transparently hateful.” It said Trump “wasted little time putting his anti-rights rhetoric of discrimination and xenophobia into action” when he assumed office.
“The specters of hatred and fear now loom large in world affairs, and we have few governments standing up for human rights in these disturbing times,” Amnesty International’s secretary general Salil Shetty said in a statement.
“Instead, leaders such as al-Sisi, Duterte, Maduro, Putin, Trump, and Xi are callously undermining the rights of millions,” he added, referring to the presidents of Egypt, the Philippines, Venezuela, Russia, and China.
The Amnesty International report also went after world leaders for promoting “fake news” and social media companies for being “weak and inconsistent” in their efforts to stop attacks against women and minorities. On the other hand, the group noted various movements that have been launched over the past year, such as the #MeToo movement.
According to CNN, Shetty told reporters at a news conference on Wednesday in Washington that “2017 showed us what happens when people amass in great numbers to say they will not accept the injustices they face.”
The Hill reported that Shetty also talked about the new-founded wave of activism from students who are demanding from lawmakers direct action to be taken about gun control – activism resulting from the deadly Florida high school shooting on February 14.
“There’s no better example of that than what we’ve seen with the kids in this country standing up against gun violence in the last few days,” Shetty stated.
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