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War on terrorism 'used to erode rights'
guardian.co.uk -- Amnesty International yesterday accused the government of draconian security measures "unparalleled in Europe" for introducing legislation allowing the detention of suspected terrorists without charge or trial. The human rights charity compared the UK with countries such as India, South Korea and Jordan which had also responded to September 11 by curbing civil liberties. Launching Amnesty's annual report, the secretary general, Irene Khan, said the charity's delegates had been told by an official of one non-western government: "Your role collapsed with the collapse of the twin towers in New York." "What happened on September 11 was a crime against humanity, a gross abuse of the human rights of thousands of people," Ms Khan said. "What developed in the wake of the attacks affected the human rights of many others. In the days, weeks and months that followed, governments around the world eroded human rights in the name of security." In refusing to accept that human rights and national security can be compatible, western democracies such as the UK and the US had helped curb civil liberties nationally and foster a "racist backlash" internationally.

posted by West 8:44 AM