The Fight for Global Human Rights with Ketty Nivyabandi

Host Sanjay Ruparelia speaks with Ketty Nivyabandi, Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada, about the global state of human rights amid rising authoritarianism, conflict, and democratic erosion. Their conversation examines the roots of today’s human rights crises and explores how international law, civil society, and citizen action are being tested by wars in Gaza and Sudan, growing gender-based repression, the rollback of migrant and refugee protections, and the escalating consequences of climate change. They also discuss the strategies human rights advocates use to confront power and mobilize accountability in an increasingly volatile world.

Host: Sanjay Ruparelia, Jarislowsky Democracy Chair and Associate Professor of Politics and Public Administration at Toronto Metropolitan University.

Guest: Ketty Nivyabandi, Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada. A global human rights advocate, former journalist, and published poet, Ketty has led civic action and advocacy campaigns in countries including Burundi, Syria, Yemen, South Sudan, Myanmar, Uganda, and Guatemala. Prior to seeking asylum in Canada in 2015, she organized women’s protests for democratic change in her home country of Burundi, facing state repression and police violence. Her work emphasizes feminist and decolonial approaches to justice and accountability.