What's Going on in Human Rights: October 2023

This month we settled on our campaign for the year, which will be climate change. Climate change is often thought of as a distinct issue from human rights, conjuring images of polar bears and diminishing forests. However, the climate is something that very much impacts humanity, and any threat to the environment is a threat to human rights.

One of the major issues that will come about as a result of the climate crisis is displacement. As temperatures and sea levels rise, more and more places are going to become unliveable. Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights entitles every person to adequate housing, so it is clear that governments failing to act on the climate crisis are allowing this right to be undermined.

One place we can see this happening is Mexico. It is important to recognise that whilst the majority of pollution comes from the West, it is the Global South that suffers the greatest effects from the climate crisis. The El Bosque community in Tabasco, Mexico, have found themselves facing the plight of becoming climate refugees. Already, rising sea levels have overtaken 200m of coast, destroying over 50 homes. They have also been facing extreme weather events, like major storms. They are dealing with poor electricity supply, and water scarcity since the community well has become contaminated with salt water. In 2022 the civil society organizations Nuestro Futuro, Conexiones Climáticas and Greenpeace Mexico helped run a campaign that the Mexican authorities should relocate the community. Whilst officials did come to visit the community, nothing further has been heard about relocation.

This community does not face an isolated danger but represents huge numbers of people who will face displacement from their homes in the coming years. It is an outrage that tragedies like this are continually being allowed to happen. People must be able to feel secure in their homes. Therefore, at Amnesty we demand that governments should take decisive action to stop further damage to the environment, and protect their citizens, and those in the Global South from suffering displacement.

Beyond climate change, the issue that has of course been at the forefront of everyone's minds is the Israel-Palestine conflict. Amnesty is calling for an immediate ceasefire from all parties. Human rights violations have been committed by the Israeli government and by Hamas. At least 1,400 in Israel have lost their lives, and in Gaza more that 6,546 people have been killed. Amnesty International has documented evidence of war crimes by Israeli forces and Hamas and other armed groups.

Amnesty has called the October 7th attack Hamas committed on Israel 'horrific'. Now, Israel's response to the attack is facing criticism. Israeli forces have launched thousands of air and ground strikes on the Gaza Strip which have killed thousands, who were mostly civilians, including over 3,000 children. In fact, in the last 3 weeks of Israel's war on Hamas more children have reportedly been killed than in all combined global conflicts during each of the last three years, according to Save the Children.

Prior to the recent conflict Amnesty had been critical of what they described as 'Israel’s system of apartheid against Palestinians'. Over the years, the Israeli Supreme Court has issued a number of rulings which enabled the Israeli government and military to commit human rights violations against Palestinians. Thousands of Palestinian homes have been demolished. In 2018, the Israeli court allowed for the village of Khan al-Ahmar in the occupied West Bank to be destroyed, creating room for illegal settlements. Then in 2022, the court approved plans to demolish nine villages in Masafer Yatta, also in the occupied West Bank. This would be facilitated through the forcible transfer of the 1,150 Palestinians who live there. Amnesty International’s research has demonstrated that Israeli authorities have been systematically committing human rights violations, including war crimes and crimes against humanity, as a means of sustaining the oppression and domination of the Palestinian people.

Amnesty International demands an immediate ceasefire and an end to the violence which has involved human rights violations on the part of both Israel and Hamas. Furthermore, they demand a dismantling of the Israeli apartheid which has systemically oppressed the Palestinian people.

(Gaza border, photographed by Levi Meir Clancy)

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By Charlie O'Keeffe