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Trump, Obama Are Among The Leaders Criticized For Human Rights Abuses

Amnesty International has released its annual report highlighting human rights abuses around the world.
Posted at 1:36 PM, Feb 22, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-22 13:36:00-05

human rights watchdog says President Donald Trump has something in common with the leaders of Turkey, Hungary and the Philippines: the "politics of demonization."

Amnesty International, a nonpartisan organization, released its annual report on global abuses Tuesday. It says one of the most dangerous threats facing human rights is an "us versus them" mentality.

Amnesty's secretary general said, "Whether it is Trump, [Hungary's Viktor] Orbán, [Turkey's Recip Tayyip] Erdoğan or [the Philippines' Rodrigo] Duterte, more and more politicians calling themselves anti-establishment are wielding a toxic agenda that hounds, scapegoats and dehumanizes entire groups of people."

The report also criticized former President Barack Obama for his reliance on drone strikes, mass surveillance and failure to close Guantanamo Bay, which has been accused of human rights abuses.

But the group says this recent trend involves "narratives of blame, hate and fear" that haven't been this prevalent since the 1930s.

The report says some politicians are using xenophobia, homophobia and racism to gain votes and support. It also says politicians are using global security threats to single out certain groups of people.

Of all those groups, Amnesty International says refugees may face the most threat.

It says dozens of governments may have violated international law by sending refugees back to countries linked to human rights violations.

The group says Trump's executive order freezing the U.S.' refugee program and blocking travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries, comes with that risk.

Trump's ban has been suspended, but the administration is reportedly drafting a revised executive order on immigration.