Middle East and North Africa can end legacy of human rights abuse and corruption

Image by Raymond June via Flickr

Respect for human rights and a strong commitment to transparency and eradicating corruption are fundamental to building sustainable, accountable and inclusive governments in the Middle East and North Africa. The time to act is now, said Amnesty International and Transparency International in a joint statement issued today.
Amnesty International and Transparency International together urge leaders – particularly in Tunisia and Egypt – to deliver on their promises of swift and substantive reform, and to reaffirm their commitment to human rights and the need to fight corruption. The two organisations also reiterated their calls for an end to violence against civilians in Libya.
People from all sectors of society in the region have taken to the streets to demand an end to repression and corruption. Many protests were led by young people, angered by the corruption and greed of political elites, calling for change. They faced violence by state security forces simply for making such demands.