Luxembourg fighting for human rights on the UN Security Council

(CS) It's been a positive year for Luxembourg diplomacy, according to Amnesty International Luxembourg director Stan Brabant, but there remains room for improvement on a local level.

With Tuesday marking Human Rights Day, Brabant said in an interview with the “Luxemburger Wort” that the Grand Duchy had done an excellent job this year on the UN Security Council.

Luxembourg contributed significantly to the UN Arms Trade Treaty, Brabant said, and had also helped in other areas, for example travelling all the way to Bangui in order to gather information on the situation on the ground in the Central African Republic.

The AI Luxembourg director commented that other Amnesty International branches often reach out to praise the Grand Duchy's work.

However, despite this positive image on the international scene, Brabant added that Luxembourg could do more to improve its human rights record at home.

External review would be positive step

Especially the treatment of asylum seekers could be improved, he said. Authorities in Luxembourg take up to three or four years to process applications for international protection, and other charities, such as Caritas, have also complained that refugees do not receive enough support once they are granted asylum.

And while Luxembourg will welcome 60 refugees from Syria before the end of the year, Brabant said that questions should be asked whether the Grand Duchy could do more.

“One shouldn't view it too negatively,” he said. “But surely more can be done. Luxembourg can do several things better.”

Brabant also spoke out in favour of a Luxembourg country file to be added to annual Amnesty International report. “A democratic state like Luxembourg, where there are no human rights violations at first glance, should undergo an external review once in a while,” he said. However, “Amnesty International doesn't currently have the resources.”

New challenges ahead

With the new government planning the foundation of a so-called “Maison des droits de l'homme”, which will bring Luxembourg human rights bodies under one roof, Brabant said that Amnesty International would not join this initiative.

“Amnesty International insists on independence,” he said, and while praising the idea to create synergies between different bodies he added: “We do not want to be supported by governments.”

The charity's work meanwhile is not getting any easier, with new challenges lying ahead. For example, secret service scandals around the world, and also in Luxembourg, provide new territory for the group to sink its teeth into. “The violation of human rights through the surveillance of citizens and interfering in privacy are new topics, also for AI,” he said.

Despite the never-ending fight against human rights violations, the number of volunteers is unfortunately declining, Brabant said. Counting around 150 volunteers and 800 members, the director hopes that injustices will mobilise more people to take action.

If you want to find out more about joining Amnesty International Luxembourg visit amnesty.lu

Interview by Marc Thill