States must be accountable, Amnesty insists

States must be held accountable for their conduct in an environment of globalisation and increasing disadvantage, Amnesty International said today.

Globalisation ' the spread of the free market economy and technological change ' has led to enormous economic expansion but has been accompanied by debt, poverty and widening inequalities Mr Seán Love, director of Amnesty International's Irish section

The group's annual report, which was released today, saysin a world where globalisation is undermining many nation statesand bringing poverty to the forefront of the human rights agenda thechallenge now is how to hold states accountable for their conduct.

Mr Seán Love, director of Amnesty's Irish sectionsaid: "Globalisation ' the spread of the free market economy andtechnological change ' has led to enormous economic expansion buthas been accompanied by debt, poverty and widening inequalities."

The report, on the group's 40th anniversary, shows human rightsviolations in at least 149 countries. The perpetrators of theseviolations are not just confined to government officials and state agents.

They have found the perpetrators are often family or communitymembers or employers. The report also stateshuman rights abusesare committed daily by opposition and paramilitary groups.

"It is vital that the Irish people endorse the International CriminalCourt in the referendum next week," said Mr Love.

"This report shows the scale of human rights abuses throughout theworld and why those responsible must be brought to justice. We hopethey also take the chance to eliminate the death penalty from theconstitution on June 7th."

Amnesty's report examines:

• extra-judicial executions in 61 countries;

• judicial executions in 28 countries;

• prisoners of conscience in at least 63 countries;

• cases of torture and ill-treatment in 125 countries;

• and "disappearances" in 30 countries.

But Amnesty believes the true figures for allthese statistics are much higher.