GENEVA - The head of Human Rights Watch on Wednesday expressed concern 鈥渨e will lose the U.S. voice as a defender of human rights around the world鈥� under President Donald Trump, and urged other democracies to 鈥渢ake a leadership position鈥� in the fight for rights.
Kenneth Roth of the New York-based advocacy group also challenged Russian President Vladimir Putin to publicly call for a pullback of Russian-backed Syrian forces from their sieges on Syrian cities, and criticized the 鈥渓ong history of disregard鈥� for civil rights shown by U.S. attorney general nominee Jeff Sessions.
鈥淭he U.S. - despite its flaws, despite its inconsistencies, despite its democracy - has been an important voice for civil society, for civic space, in many countries,鈥� Roth told reporters on Wednesday in Geneva, home to the U.N.'s Human Rights Council. 鈥淚 fear that governments are going to use the opportunity of Trump's arrival to crack down on dissent.鈥�
鈥淭hat's why it's all the more important for other democratic governments to take a leadership position,鈥� Roth added. 鈥淚 am very concerned that we will lose the voice of the United States as a defender for human rights around the world.鈥�
Roth said Trump's 鈥渆xpressed admiration for strong men鈥� and his nomination of Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State, 鈥渨ho has yet to show any interest in human rights,鈥� were worrying. He also said that his group expects the Trump administration this week to issue an order to start 鈥渆xploring or considering鈥� a resumption of CIA 鈥渂lack sites鈥� abroad.
鈥淚 hope that this time around, governments do a better job of standing up to the United States,鈥� he said, referring to the secret prisons where suspected terrorists were questioned and allegedly tortured after the Sept. 11 attacks. 鈥淟ast time, these black sites were often in democracies.鈥�
Roth said he also expects Trump to start refilling the Guantanamo Bay detention facility 鈥渏ust as a matter of making a point,鈥� and expressed a need for 鈥渕ore vigorous oversight鈥� from the Republican-controlled Congress 鈥渋f some awful rights-violating policies are now going to be enacted鈥� by the administration.
鈥淚t remains to be seen whether Congress just falls in line behind the president because he has a bully pulpit, or whether it exercises its proper oversight function,鈥� Roth added. 鈥淥bviously people are afraid because he does have the bully pulpit.鈥�
