In a world of human rights abuses, some 'extraordinary potential' too

Russia's invasion of Ukraine elicited broad opposition that shows what can happen when leaders and citizens take a stand.

That's according to Human Rights Watch's global snapshot of 2022, which shows a "litany of human rights crises" but also a silver lining: "cracks" emerged in authoritarian regimes when protesters demanded freedom.

"Every government has the obligation to protect and promote respect for human rights," HRW's acting executive director, Tirana Hassan, said in the preface to a 712-page report.

It's been a tough year, the report notes, in places like Afghanistan, where the Taliban “walked back women’s rights," and Myanmar, where the military junta is implicated in mass killings and attacks on civilians in conflict areas, and China, where the mass detention of ethnic Muslim Uyghurs is remarkable for its “gravity, scale and cruelty."

'Solidarity' needed

The report, however, also highlights the courage of protestors to stand up for human rights, such as Iranian demonstrators challenging the morality police, Sri Lankans who brought down the government, and Brazilian voters who carried out democratic elections despite political polarization.

"After years of piecemeal and often half-hearted efforts on behalf of civilians under threat in places including Yemen, Afghanistan, and South Sudan, the world’s mobilization around Ukraine reminds us of the extraordinary potential when governments realize their human rights responsibilities on a global scale," she said.

"All governments should bring the same spirit of solidarity to the multitude of human rights crises around the globe, and not just when it suits their interests."