Human Rights Watch says Joe Biden must make stronger case for democracy
HRW head Kenneth Roth says during key summits, Biden ‘seemed to lose his voice when it came to public denunciation of serious human rights violations’
13 January 2022 - 09:58
byMichelle Nichols
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US President Joe Biden delivers remarks at the White House on January 7, 2022. Picture: REUTERS/KEVIN LAMARQUE
New York — Human Rights Watch on Thursday criticised US President Joe Biden and other Western leaders for a weak defence of democracy and for failing to meet challenges from the climate crisis and Covid-19 pandemic to poverty, inequality and racial injustice.
In contrast to what Human Rights Watch’s executive director, Kenneth Roth, described as former US President Donald Trump's “embrace of friendly autocrats”, Biden took office in January 2021 with a pledge to put human rights at the centre of his foreign policy.
“But he continued to sell arms to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Israel, despite their persistent repression,” Roth wrote in Human Rights Watch’s annual World Report, released on Thursday.
“Other Western leaders displayed similar weakness in their defence of democracy,” Roth wrote, naming French President Emmanuel Macron and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Roth also said that during key summits Biden “seemed to lose his voice when it came to public denunciation of serious human rights violations”.
“The US state department has issued occasional protests about repression in certain countries, and in extreme cases the Biden administration introduced targeted sanctions on some officials responsible, but the influential voice of the president was often missing,” he wrote.
US officials have defended the Biden administration’s record, saying diplomats have frequently raised human rights concerns with foreign leaders, including in difficult talks with adversaries including China and Russia.
“If democracies are to prevail in the global contest with autocracy, their leaders must do more than spotlight the autocrats’ inevitable shortcomings. They need to make a stronger, positive case for democratic rule,” Roth said.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Human Rights Watch says Joe Biden must make stronger case for democracy
HRW head Kenneth Roth says during key summits, Biden ‘seemed to lose his voice when it came to public denunciation of serious human rights violations’
New York — Human Rights Watch on Thursday criticised US President Joe Biden and other Western leaders for a weak defence of democracy and for failing to meet challenges from the climate crisis and Covid-19 pandemic to poverty, inequality and racial injustice.
In contrast to what Human Rights Watch’s executive director, Kenneth Roth, described as former US President Donald Trump's “embrace of friendly autocrats”, Biden took office in January 2021 with a pledge to put human rights at the centre of his foreign policy.
“But he continued to sell arms to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Israel, despite their persistent repression,” Roth wrote in Human Rights Watch’s annual World Report, released on Thursday.
“Other Western leaders displayed similar weakness in their defence of democracy,” Roth wrote, naming French President Emmanuel Macron and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Roth also said that during key summits Biden “seemed to lose his voice when it came to public denunciation of serious human rights violations”.
“The US state department has issued occasional protests about repression in certain countries, and in extreme cases the Biden administration introduced targeted sanctions on some officials responsible, but the influential voice of the president was often missing,” he wrote.
US officials have defended the Biden administration’s record, saying diplomats have frequently raised human rights concerns with foreign leaders, including in difficult talks with adversaries including China and Russia.
“If democracies are to prevail in the global contest with autocracy, their leaders must do more than spotlight the autocrats’ inevitable shortcomings. They need to make a stronger, positive case for democratic rule,” Roth said.
Reuters
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