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Amnesty outlines concerns about foreign policy changes

Amnesty Ireland has voiced serious concern about the government's failure to raise human rights i...
Newstalk
Newstalk

12.51 10 Jan 2014


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Amnesty outlines concerns abou...

Amnesty outlines concerns about foreign policy changes

Newstalk
Newstalk

12.51 10 Jan 2014


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Amnesty Ireland has voiced serious concern about the government's failure to raise human rights issues during its trade mission to the Middle East.

The group is to write to the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and the Minister for Jobs to ask if it is now part of our foreign policy to allow trade issues to trump the government's human rights commitments.

They have also sent a copy of a report, published last November, to Enda Kenny. It details serious abuses of the rights of migrant workers in Qatar including evidence of forced labour.

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The human rights organisation says it is sending that report because the Taoiseach was quoted this week in Qatar as saying his assumption was that those who work internationally on such projects would have proper working conditions and proper facilities.

Colm O Gorman is executive Director of Amnesty - he says Ireland needs to show leadership on human rights issues.

Responding to comments by Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton reported in the media, Colm O’Gorman, Executive Director of Amnesty International Ireland, said:

"It is of grave concern to us that the Taoiseach and Minister Bruton who have led this mission seem to believe that it would be inappropriate for them to raise human rights issues as part of Ireland’s normal bilateral trade engagements with other states.

This view was reportedly expressed by the Taoiseach, and then repeated by Minister Bruton during a radio interview (with Newstalk). Minister Bruton said that the mission was a ‘business to business’ event, and that it was not an appropriate forum to raise human rights concerns. He went on to suggest that the appropriate fora are the EU and UN.

If these statements reflect current Irish foreign affairs policy, they represent a departure from Ireland’s traditional approach to such issues. It has been the practice for many years of Irish governments to use such bilateral trade engagements with other states with poor human rights records to raise human rights issues and concerns."

Gulf concerns

Amnesty has outlined its concerns on countries in the region. It says that in Saudi Arabia freedoms of expression, association and assembly are severely restricted; women are discriminated against and the right to a fair trial is not observed while inhumane punishments like flogging are meted out.

On Qatar they've voiced concerns on freedom of expression and on torture, as well as on the rights of women and migrants. Death sentences are also imposed by the courts.

In the United Arab Emirates Amnesty says more than 90 government critics, including human rights defenders, are being detained amid increasing restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly. The rights of women and foreign workers are not safeguarded and death sentences are handed out by courts.


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