Countries that threaten human rights will find it difficult to identify with the United States under Joe Biden, says the NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW), which released its annual report on Wednesday (13).
The Democrat, who will take office on the 20th, should make respect for human rights – life, personal safety, equality of conditions and freedom of expression – a criterion for defining the countries with which the United States goes. associate the entity with projects, particularly in the economic field.
Thus, HRW stresses, Brazil will have problems, as Jair Bolsonaro’s government has disrespected rights on several fronts, such as promoting deforestation in the Amazon, sabotaging measures to contain Covid-19 and stimulating policies. against women’s rights.
“There will be great political and economic pressure on Brazil from Washington. Bolsonaro will be an obstacle to entering into new partnerships, such as trade agreements,” said Ken Roth, global executive director of the NGO. “The absence of these agreements could hamper the recovery of the Brazilian economy.”
Roth cited as an example the case of the European Union, which is resisting reaching a deal with Mercosur, in part because of Bolsonaro’s actions. Tuesday (12), the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, associated Brazilian soybeans with deforestation in the Amazon and therefore defended the sowing of grain in Europe.
Executive Director expects Biden to represent a new ‘Jimmy Carter moment’ when the former US leader led the country in the late 1970s to strengthen human rights advocacy abroad .
“After four years of Trump, marked by indifference and often hostility to human rights, the Biden presidency offers an opportunity for change,” he said.
For HRW, Biden should lead the United States to move away from authoritarian regimes courted by the Republican government, such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt, and suspend arms sales to those countries. The organization also expects the new US president to condemn India for discriminating against Muslims.
In his government, Biden promises to promote the advancement of access to health, the fight against racism, poverty and global warming, in addition to seeking better conditions for women and LGBT people.
Roth also says the United States should seek to work with other governments on an equal footing, as several other nations have emerged as advocacy leaders in recent years. “The Biden government should join the efforts already made, and not try to supplant them,” he defends.
The annual report of the entity, one of the largest human rights NGOs in the world, details the situation of 100 countries on the subject. The document highlights increased repression of opponents in China and cites steps taken to take away political freedoms in Hong Kong, in addition to tight control over Muslims in Xinjiang. “This is the darkest moment for human rights in China since the 1989 massacre [na praça da Paz Celestial]Roth remarks.