FRANCE 24 spoke to Tirana Hassan, acting executive director of Human Rights Watch, which is publishing its annual report this week. Although the report reveals the grim picture of a world shattered by multiple crises, our guest believes the attacks carried out against democratic institutions, such as in Brazil, show the "desperation of autocrats, despots and strongmen who are beginning to lose power", adding that "there are cracks in the autocratic armour of the Chinese government". Hassan also welcomed the response of the international community to the war in Ukraine.
Speaking to FRANCE 24 from London, Hassan claimed that the world's response to the war in Ukraine has "shown us what is possible when governments come together and fight back against the autocrats’ grabs to power and widespread human rights violations".
On Ukraine, "we have seen the international community essentially using every tool in their arsenal to ensure that there will be justice and accountabilty; to ensure that human rights violations are going to stop", she continued.
"It's a really encouraging precedent that has been set for the future," she concluded, while warning that "we need to ensure it is applied to other conflicts and crises all over the world".
