London-based Amnesty International urged the UN General Assembly to take action to ensure that the fights against terrorism respects human rights and international law.
In a statement released for the 57th annual General Assembly where the United States is expected to press its case for action against Iraq, the rights group said it ”calls on all governments … to explicitly commit themselves to ensure that the actions they take to combat ‘terrorism’ conform with their obligations under human rights and international humanitarian law.”
”Amnesty International welcomes the affirmation, in a new UN report released today, that the UN should ensure that the protection of human rights under the rule of law is central to all counter-terrorism efforts,” it added.
But Amnesty International indicated ”the UN lacks a dedicated mechanism to ensure that this is the case” saying it ”urges the UN to review what mechanism and measures are required to ensure the effective observance of basic human rights standards in counter-terrorism efforts which the report recommends.” – Sapa-AFP