Booker T. Washington High School

Model United Nations Club

Player Briefing: Amnesty International

Amnesty International is the most well-known and vocal international organization dedicated to the promotion of universal human rights around the world.  The organization has no formal power, lacks the resources of a state or even a seat in the United Nations.  Nevertheless, it has tremendous pull around the world due to its ability to call attention to human rights abuses.  In the modern global environment, criticism from AI can hurt a country in several ways: it can dampen the business climate, make a country unpopular in the diplomatic arena, and even cause internal criticism of a regime.  It works according to the time-honored concept of peer pressure.  No one wants to be the focus of an unfavorable AI report, as it gives everyone license to point the finger at a particular government or actor.  Note that the AI player will actually represent a number of groups, of which AI is the most famous.  To be effective, however, AI has to mobilize its resources and pick its battles carefully.  It mus identify the worst areas of abuse and the worst perpetrators.  The following is a partial list of issues Amnesty International might take up this year:

·         Truth Commissions.  Several of the states in the region – Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Chile, Colombia, Argentina and Brazil, to name a few – went through bloody civil wars in the 1970s, 80s and 90s.  Now that peace has returned, many intellectuals and relatives of those murdered during these periods of violence are calling for an accounting.  They want to know what happened.  One idea is to form a regional Truth and Reconciliation Commission, modeled on something done in South Africa after apartheid.  People who came forward within a period of time to confess crimes would receive an amnesty.  After the period of time, the government would prosecute offenders.  The example worked well in South Africa, but who in Latin America would support such a plan?

·         Torture.  Although not as common as it used to be, torture of prisoners, especially for political reasons, is still practiced throughout the region.  Some of the offenders are police and secret police, but violence by paramilitary organizations and rebel groups are also a problem.  AI can identify where torture is still a problem and issue a report condemning the practice.

·         Refugees and repatriation.  Many people flee political violence in Latin America.  Most recently, people have fled Colombia for Panama.  Colombian soldiers and paramilitaries have crossed into Panama to forcibly repatriate refugees they consider to have ties to the FARC.  Should AI press this as a violation of the UN-certified right of asylum, or accept this as an act of war?

·         Paramilitary and rebel violence.  Paramilitary groups are unofficial fighting forces serving a government.  Some are legitimate, like volunteer militias.  Others are “death squads,” men who carry out crimes in secret so that the government is not blamed.  Paramilitary violence is common in Colombia and Guatemala, and has been common wherever there is conflict.  How hard should AI press this as an issue?

·         Fair trade and workers’ rights.  Many workers in Latin America receive miserable wages producing goods like coffee, which is then exported by corporations to rich countries for a profit.  The fair trade movement argues that corporations and landlords should be made to pay a higher wage, and that the cost should be passed along to the consumer.  With coffee prices at a record low, this is a real issue for many in Latin America, but it requires a change in direction for AI.  Should AI focus on economic oppression in addition to political oppression?

·         Kidnappings.  Rebel groups, organized criminals and the FARC in Colombia have all taken to kidnapping hundreds of people, for a variety of reasons – ransom, intimidation, to collect hostages, etc.  Should AI try to publicize these cases, or focus strictly on governments?

·         Arms sales to human rights violators.  Some of the worst human rights offenders in the region continue to buy guns from the US, Europe and other wealthy states.  Some of this trade happens on the black market, but government officials also conduct some.  Should AI try to stop this root cause of violence and oppression?

In addition to these campaigns, the AI player should make a list of best and worst states in terms of human rights practices. AI should also issue a statement detailing which states are doing the most to improve their human rights records at this time.  This will go out in AI’s annual statement, and may have some impact on the diplomatic standing of the states so described.  This is how AI proposes to make the world a better place.