The AI campaign ‘Play by the Rules’ is a trailblazer (http://web.amnesty.org/pages/lka-020407-petition-eng), in marketing terms AI must be exultant with the publicity that it has received globally and especially in Sri Lanka. For a campaign of this nature nothing is negative publicity and so counter pressure in the form of agitated Sri Lankan government officials and Ministers referring to this campaign and calling it blasphemous, Southern based political groups taking to the roads and disquietened Sinhala diaspora must only add to the number of balls signed or the hits on the AI website.
According to AI the campaign ‘Play by the Rules!’ is to remind stakeholders in Sri Lanka that,
All parties involved in the escalating armed conflict in Sri Lanka need to ‘Play by the Rules!’ now to prevent the human rights crisis that is emerging in the country claiming more lives. Amnesty International (AI) calls on the Sri Lankan government, LTTE, Karuna faction and other armed groups to respect the rules of international humanitarian law and to protect civilians. AI believes international human rights monitors are needed immediately for better protection of those hundreds of thousands caught up in the conflict.
http://web.amnesty.org/pages/lka-020407-petition-eng
Naming and shaming organizations are a must in today’s globalized world where state terror and non-state terror work simultaneously to bend towards them a usually hapless population. Defenders of human rights are not hugely popular but since human rights abuse is a phenomenon happening in both developed and developing countries international organizations with wide outreach, connections and influence are a necessity. Glancing through the AI website it is clear that they work on many regions including the US and UK and on a multiplicity of issues or themes. The question is however if AI gives equal status in terms of the type of agitation, international exposure and international naming and shaming to the African and Asian countries and the Western world which abuse human rights. Quite apart from that in the specific case of the Sri Lankan situation one has to question if the AI campaign also highlighted adequately the LTTE, Karuna and ‘other armed groups’ human rights abuses or if it has created a biased outlook, just pointing fingers at the GoSL only.
Looking at the overall AI campaigns with special focus on the campaigns in the US and UK it is clear that AI campaigns against the US are centered mainly on the death penalty in the states, unlawful detention and torture with special reference to Gautanamo. It also touches on ‘rendition’ and secret detention. The type of campaigns seems to be public agitations, demonstrations, signings and sittings within the country in public places. In UK one of the major campaigns, a demonstration in Downing Street, was to ask Tony Blair not to turn a blind eye on torture linked with secret detention, rendition and deportation of terror suspects in the war on terror. A marked difference in these campaigns is that the campaigns are usually ‘localized’.
The Sri Lankan campaign in stark contrast was an international publicity blitz and took on the ICC World championships. Although the campaign demanded that all stakeholders to the conflict in Sri Lanka be accountable to human rights abuses the fact that it sought cricket and the Sri Lankan cricket team has annoyed many since the Sri Lankan cricket team is associated with the Sri Lankan government and not the LTTE, Karuna factor or ‘other armed groups’ in Sri Lanka. Therefore launching the campaign at the ICC seems to be a partial offence on the GoSL.
The AI track record shows however that it has tried to remain impartial. In it’s ‘Terror and Counter-Terror: Defending Our Human Rights’ campaign AI appeals to both states and non-state actors alike to give up terror to protect human rights of civilians.
AI condemns any deliberate attacks on civilians, whether through planting bombs in restaurants or railway stations or bringing down buildings killing thousands. The deliberate targeting of civilians constitutes a serious abuse of fundamental human rights and runs counter to basic principles of humanity. AI calls for those who commit such atrocities to be brought to justice. Deliberately attacking civilians can never be justified.
AI calls on leaders of armed groups to denounce human rights abuses – including torture, hostage-taking and direct or indiscriminate attacks on civilians – and to take action to prevent perpetrators from repeating such abuses. Where possible, AI addresses its concerns directly to the leadership of such groups: for example, in 2002 AI delegates met representatives of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE); …http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engact400092006
If the agitations and counter pressure in Sri Lanka against this campaign is valid or not is an emotional issue however one expects organizations like AI to carry out campaigns to protect and defend human rights world wide and one demands organizations to be conflict sensitive when carry out the naming and shaming campaigns. Campaigns like the ‘Play by the Rules’ can create lopsided analysis and can be harmful in the long term. AI must act with responsibility when designing, organizing, and implementing campaigns so that the naming and shaming doesn’t spark more violence or hatred towards helpless civilians. It is imperative that AI also plays closer to the rules.
One can only look forward to AI organized human rights campaigns demanding a US backed coalition pull out from Iraq, close down of detention centers in US, Australia, UK, stop torture in US, UK, give back to Iraqi people their oil at the UEFA EURO June 2008 and the Olympics in August 2008.