For Immediate Release
Cambridge, MA / Washington, D.C. – Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) applauded the general goals laid out today by President Obama for the Middle East and North Africa and the Administration’s renewal of its commitment to find a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but expressed strong concerns about the unequal pursuit of these goals throughout the region and the resulting loss of credibility. As the region undergoes fundamental changes driven by protesters who face torture, arbitrary arrests, disappearances and death as a consequence of their attempts to break free from oppression and discrimination, the Obama Administration finally addressed these important developments in a comprehensive fashion.
President Obama defined three principles of engagement for the region, including the opposition to any form of violence and repression, support for universal rights including free speech, peaceful assembly, religious freedom, equality of men and women, and the right to choose their own leaders, as well as political and economic reform in the region. While these principles are commonly accepted and hardly establish a new vision as they should be considered long-established corner stones of all of our foreign policy, PHR continues to express strong concerns that the Obama Administration is not implementing those principles equally throughout the region. Much rather, the Administration has so far adopted a kid glove approach vis-à-vis countries that have been supportive of U.S. security or energy goals in the region. PHR applauds the strong and fully warranted actions taken by the Administration against Libya and Syria, but strongly criticizes that the President did not go beyond merely listing abuses in Bahrain without establishing clear U.S. policy consequences should the Bahraini government fail to immediately adhere to international human rights standards and end its brutal crackdown, and did not mention Saudi Arabia at all.
“PHR has long urged the Obama Administration to take every opportunity to demand in no uncertain terms the protection of internationally recognized human rights standards throughout the MENA region, and to do so with the same vigor vis-à-vis friends and foes. We cannot leave the slightest doubt, publicly or privately, that the United States uses the same yard stick to measure human rights violations all over the world, including here in the United States,” said Hans Hogrefe, PHR’s Chief Policy Officer. “When the President justifiably mentioned the destructive role Iran has played in the region, but completely spared Saudi Arabia from any criticism of violating exactly those guiding principles of engagement he has laid out, we lose credibility in the entire region. Without being seen as a credible partner, the U.S. cannot be an effective arbiter of the Middle East peace process.”
Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) is a New York-based advocacy organization that uses science and medicine to prevent mass atrocities and severe human rights violations. Learn more here.