"The human rights setbacks of 2023 did not go unnoticed. On the contrary. People around the world resisted the regression, demonstrating an unprecedented global solidarity," stressed the head of the international human rights organization.

The annual report of the non-governmental organization (NGO) on the State of the World's Human Rights, published today, highlights the "unprecedented" mobilization of governments and individuals in defense of human rights.

"When many governments failed to uphold international law, we saw others appealing to international institutions to enforce the rule of law. And where leaders around the world failed to stand up for human rights, we saw people galvanised to march, protest and demand a more hopeful future," said Agnès Callamard, citing some examples seen worldwide during the past year.

"The Israel-Hamas conflict sparked hundreds of protests worldwide" with "people demanding a ceasefire to end the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, as well as the release of all hostages held by Hamas and other armed groups, well before many governments did," Amnesty International said in the report.

"The UN Secretary-General, the heads of UN agencies and humanitarian organizations took the unprecedented step of denouncing war crimes committed in southern Israel and Gaza and of calling on Israel to respect international law," said the organization's secretary-general, quoted in the document.

The mobilization was also observed in many other places, such as in the streets of the United States, El Salvador and Poland "to demand the right to abortion, as the backlash against gender justice took hold".

On the other hand, Amnesty International also reported that "thousands of people joined the youth-led 'Fridays For Future' movement to demand a just and rapid phase-out of fossil fuels" and that in Taiwan, the #MeToo movement succeeded in getting the government to pass an amendment to the Sexual Assault Crime Prevention Act.

In Afghanistan, activist Matiullah Wesa was released in October after months of campaigning and having spent nearly seven months in prison for promoting girls' right to education, and in Turkey, four human rights defenders accused of terrorism were acquitted after many demonstrations.

"The right to protest is fundamental to exposing abuses and holding leaders to account. People have made it abundantly clear that they want human rights," stressed Agnès Callamard.

"Given the grim global outlook, urgent action is needed to revitalize and renew international institutions designed to safeguard humanity," said the head of Amnesty International, pointing to the need to reform the UN Security Council so that permanent members cannot exercise their veto power without control.

Last year, "many people resisted and disrupted the forces that were pushing the world backwards," the representative said, considering that these protests "also shaped the year 2023, against all odds".

"I hope that in 2048 -- or even 3048 -- when diplomats and activists look back at the past year [2023], they will find that there were many, many good people all over the world who did everything they could, by standing up and speaking out," concluded Agnès Callamard.

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