Amnesty International today called for urgent action to address the world’s growing “human rights deficit”, saying that the Global Financial Crisis could not be used as an excuse to ignore widespread human rights abuses and injustice.

The organisation today released its latest annual report – ‘The State of the World’s Human Rights 2009’ – which documents human rights violations, as well as significant steps taken to improve the situation, in 157 nations around the world.

Amnesty International’s report demonstrates that there is a global human rights crisis and that human rights abuses must now, more than ever, be addressed by world leaders.

“It is not just a financial crisis, it’s a human rights crisis,” said Claire Mallinson, National Director - Amnesty International Australia. “Human rights are not a luxury for the good times.

“For months now, world attention has been focused on the Global Financial Crisis, government spending and the word of the moment – deficits. Governments of course have a responsibility to solve such problems, but they also have a responsibility to deal with another deficit – the human rights deficit.”

Amnesty International believes that particular attention must be paid to the record of the G20 group of the world’s most important economies because this grouping is taking on an ever more important role in addressing world problems.

The Amnesty International report found that in 2008 the list of human rights abuses in G20 countries was alarmingly long.

There was arbitrary, unjustified detention without charges or trial in 14 of the G20 countries, people were subjected to unfair trials in nine of the 19 countries and tortured or gravely ill-treated during interrogation in 15.

People were executed extra-judicially or killed unlawfully in nine of the 19 countries and 78 per cent of all state executions across the world took place in G20 countries.

“If the G20 is going to lead us out of the Global Financial Crisis, such grave human rights abuses cannot continue,” Claire Mallinson said. “Amnesty International is calling on the G20 to show the same kind of commitment to addressing the global human rights deficit that it is showing in dealing with the global financial crisis.”

Amnesty International is urging world leaders to address human rights issues in a way that moves states from narrow self interest to multilateral cooperation. But Amnesty International Australia’s National Director warned against a “pick and choose” approach to human rights.

“Global leaders will not be credible or effective if they fail to confront their own tarnished records and double standards on human rights,” Claire Mallinson said.

Amnesty International Australia believes that full respect for human rights requires the recognition that everyone has a right to live in dignity, and the right to food, water, basic healthcare, education and shelter.

“In the 1930s, to tackle the Great Depression, the US government launched its ‘New Deal’, and today governments are spending billions of dollars which are in effect another attempt at a New Deal,” said Claire Mallinson. “But the world also urgently needs a new global deal on human rights. The world’s leaders need to live up fully to their human rights obligations.”

Amnesty International Australia is renewing its calls on the Australian Government to turn its gestures on human rights into real outcomes – particularly in the areas of Indigenous rights, refugees and asylum seekers, and violence against women and their children.