New Zealand Conservative

Amnesty International have found time to make a press release urging New Zealand to take on Gitmo residents. With Hillary Clinton's visit (now postponed due to the Haiti quake) they were expecting New Zealand to put pressure on Clinton over Gitmo. They also want us to guarantee the safety of these alleged terrorists should they be released back into the wild: Amnesty International is urging the New Zealand Government to offer international protection to Guantanamo Bay detainees at risk of torture or other serious human rights violations if returned to their home countries. The press release seemed to say nothing about serious human rights abuses in North Korea and other world hot spots, but did find time to campaign on Climate Change. On Climate Change they had the cheek to write this :

Amnesty International make the following claim : Nicaragua’s total ban on abortions is endangering the lives of girls and women, denying them life-saving treatment... In reply: The leadership of Nicaragua has repeatedly made clear that the existing medical code will be respected, which allows lifesaving treatments that could indirectly cause an abortion. But facts and truth are the first casualties in the war against the right to life. Apparently AI will stop at nothing to pressure Nicaragua to change its law, including the manufacturing of evidence. What Amnesty are actually annoyed about, is that "therapeutic abortions" which were granted for almost any reason, are now banned. The mother's life does have to be in danger. The AI report quotes deaths of maternal mothers, but show me one country in the world where there are not a few deaths from complications in pregnancy. There were 6 such direct deaths in NZ in 2006, and 4 indirect (the year for the latest reported ...

Amnesty issued a damning report on the last 60 years of human rights abuses. They want Western Governments to apologise for the actions of despots. Seems it's all the rage to demand an apology, but I wonder if they are asking the wrong people. I'm wondering if they should be asking the actual despots to apologise. I'm also wondering if it's Amnesty that should also be apologising. I certainly expected a lot more from them and are very disappointed in the organisation they have become. Say sorry. Amnesty International today challenged world leaders to apologize for six decades of human rights failure and re-commit themselves to deliver concrete improvements. "The human rights flashpoints in Darfur, Zimbabwe, Gaza, Iraq and Myanmar demand immediate action," said Irene Khan, Secretary General of Amnesty International, launching AI Report 2008: State of the World's Human Rights. Why do they expect world leaders to apologise for Zimbabwe? Because they ...

Amnesty International : The death penalty is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. It violates the right to life. It is irrevocable and can be inflicted on the innocent. It has never been shown to deter crime more effectively than other punishments. Amnesty International works for an end to executions and the abolition of the death penalty everywhere. Now, I also know that Amnesty fights to free prisoners "of conscience". That is, Amnesty go to bat for any person or persons imprisoned by others and held in captivity. I used to think they did a good job, but recently I came across a case where Amnesty had received a request for help, circulated the call amongst members and they are seriously considering supporting the death penalty, even though this person is innocent of any wrongdoing. Furthermore, they have suggested that all others in a similar situation should have the death penalty, if that's what their jailer decides. Here's the letter that s...