[News] Amnesty condemns 'War on Terror'

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Amnesty condemns 'War on Terror'

Wednesday 26 May 2004 10:47 AM GMT


Washington's global ''anti-terror'' policies are bankrupt of vision, 
according to a leading human rights group.

Amnesty International charged the US on Wednesday with sacrificing basic 
human rights in the blind pursuit of security.

The watchdog also rapped War on Terror partners across the world for 
jailing suspects unfairly, stamping on legitimate political and religious 
dissent and squeezing asylum-seekers.

"The global security agenda promoted by the US administration is bankrupt 
of vision and bereft of principle," Amnesty head Irene Khan said, launching 
its annual report.

"Violating rights at home, turning a blind eye to abuses abroad and using 
pre-emptive military force where and when it chooses has damaged justice 
and freedom - and made the world a more dangerous place."

Specifics

Amnesty lashed Washington for unlawful killings of Iraqi civilians; 
questionable arrest and mistreatment of prisoners in Iraq, Guantanamo Bay 
and Afghanistan and opposition to the new global criminal court.

"The world is crying out for principled leadership," Khan added, saying the 
negative effects of US-led anti-terror policies had spread far and wide.

"Governments are losing their moral compass, sacrificing the global values 
of human rights in a blind pursuit of security."

More reproaches

In Europe and Asia, Amnesty criticised regressive anti-terror legislation, 
attacks on refugee protection and restrictions on freedom of association 
and expression.

It singled out Britain for holding 14 foreigners without charge, Spain for 
closing a Basque-language newspaper, the EU for ignoring human rights in 
its asylum thinking, and Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan for internal repression.

In China, India, Malaysia, Pakistan and Thailand "the belief ... that human 
rights could be curtailed under the War on Terror umbrella was particularly 
apparent," with hundreds of detainees left in legal limbo, Amnesty's report 
said.

Arab nations also came in for criticism for allowing the transfer of people 
between states without judicial proceedings.

Pretext of War

"While some states, such as Egypt and Syria, had long-standing states of 
emergency in place, the War on Terror was used as a pretext to legitimise 
existing practices, such as long-term administrative detention and unfair 
trials by special courts whose procedures fell far short of international 
standards," the annual report said.

"Other states, such as Morocco and Tunisia, introduced new 'anti-terrorism' 
laws during the year, which posed a further threat to basic human rights."

Amnesty also condemned the "callous, cruel and criminal attacks" by groups 
such as al-Qaida.

The combined effect of those attacks and states' violations of rights was 
to create the most serious assault on rights and humanitarian law in half a 
century and make "a world of growing mistrust, fear and division", it said.

With Iraq and anti-terror policies dominating, world attention has been 
diverted from old wars, the group also noted.

Conflict in Chechnya, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan and 
Nepal remain "a breeding ground for some of the worst atrocities."

Reuters


You can find this article at:
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/EEE7ED4B-2E82-45DA-84C7-13CB95C9E907.htm 



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