Amnesty International Welcomes Central Auckland Candidates’ Election Commitments To Human Rights

Phil Goff, Labour candidate running for Mount Roskill, has asserted that the Labour Government’s concerns on the Fijian military coup, and the human rights violations which have occurred, have been strongly and consistently expressed through various forums.

Affirmations like this from Goff, and other election candidates, are central to Amnesty International’s campaign to put human rights at the heart of the election debate.

“As the first country in the world to give women the vote, and a key player in the creation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, New Zealanders can be proud of our contribution to international human rights,” says Rebecca Emery, Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand’s spokesperson. “By asking our elected representatives to give their views on human rights issues, we are also asking them to continue New Zealand’s tradition of being human rights pioneers,” adds Emery.

Over the past month, Amnesty has been seeking responses to human rights questions relating to specific topics, from China’s human rights record, to New Zealand’s ratification and implementation of key human rights treaties in the Pacific.

Amnesty is urging members of the public to see how their local candidates are responding (via its daily-updated website), and to encourage those that haven’t replied to do so.

“Constituents of Central Auckland have an important role to ensure that candidates place human rights at the heart of this year’s election,” says Emery.

“Through simple actions such as phoning candidates, voters can help to secure the future of New Zealand’s human rights legacy that begun 60 years ago at the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – to deliver concrete improvements in human rights,” says Emery.

See candidates’ responses to Amnesty’s survey, or take action to encourage a response at www.amnesty.org.nz/election2008

Note to editors: Amnesty International is impartial and independent of any government, political persuasion or religious creed. It does not support or promote any individual party in the upcoming general election. Rather it seeks to ensure that the human rights of all individuals are respected and valued as affirmed by the UDHR.

ends

© Scoop Media