CAIRO, May 23, 2006 (IslamOnline.net) – Washington's so-called global war on terror has led to serious violation of human rights worldwide and gave US Mideast allies a carte blanch to torture terror suspects, Amnesty International said on Tuesday, May 23.
"Measures purporting to counter terrorism led to serious human rights violations, and concern was widespread about the impact of these measures on Muslims and other minority communities," the London-based group said in its annual report.
Amnesty accused powerful government of hijacking the energy and attention of the world from serious human rights crises.
"Governments collectively and individually paralyzed international institutions and squandered public resources in pursuit of narrow security interests, sacrificed principles in the name of the "war on terror" and turned a blind eye to massive human rights violations," Amnesty Secretary General Irene Khan said at the report.
"As a result, the world has paid a heavy price, in terms of erosion of fundamental principles and in the enormous damage done to the lives and livelihoods of ordinary people."
Failed War
Asserting that terrorism is "inexcusable and unacceptable," the human right watchdog said perpetrators of terrorist attacks must be brought to justice through fair trial "not torture or secret detention."
"Sadly, the increasing brutality of such incidents throughout the world last year is a further bitter reminder that the ‘war on terror’ is failing and will continue to fail until human rights and human security are given precedence over narrow national security interests," said Khan.
"Doublespeak and double standards by powerful governments are dangerous because they weaken the ability of the international community to address human rights problems."
The report cited the example of the notorious US Guantanamo detention camp, which it said remained packed with detainees who had not been charged or tried.
The top UN anti-torture body on Friday, May 19, told Washington it should close the infamous camp, which Amnesty had branded as the "gulag of our times."
Prison Partnership
Amnesty said political dissidents landed in jail at alarming rates in Syria, Iran and Egypt.
Amnesty cited growing evidence of a secret prison partnership between Western and Middle Eastern countries.
"There was increasing information to indicate that individuals suspected of terrorism by the US authorities have been secretly and forcibly transferred to others countries, including Egypt, Morocco, Jordan and Syria, for interrogation," it said.
The group said most transfers — some of them
passed through Britain — were made to countries "whose security services had long records of torturing detainees with impunity."
According to Amnesty, scores of people were being held in secret detention facilities under US-behest in Jordan and Egypt.
It added that Britain had signed agreements with Lebanon, Libya and Jordan, noting a "further sign of close collaboration... under which they agreed to accept individuals whom the UK authorities wished forcibly to expel."
Amnesty "interviewed detainees in Yemen who said they had been briefly detained and tortured in Jordan and then held for many months in secret detention centers under US control, whose location they never learned."
In addition to alleged terror suspects, the group said political dissidents landed in jail at alarming rates in Syria, Iran and Egypt.
Miscarriage of Justice
Amnesty said the Israeli judiciary turns a blind eye to abuses and crimes committed against the Palestinians by Israeli policemen and settlers.
Turning to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Amnesty accused the Israeli judiciary of turning a blind eye to abuses and crimes committed against the Palestinians by Israeli policemen and settlers, who have no fears of being brought to justice.
"Israeli soldiers, police and settlers who committed unlawful killings, ill-treatment and other attacks against Palestinians and their property commonly did so with impunity," said the report.
"Investigations were rare, as were prosecutions of the perpetrators, which in most cases did not lead to convictions."
Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank frequently complain that Israeli authorities condone attacks by settlers, either physical assaults or destruction of their farmland.
Amnesty said that such complaints often go unheeded and Israeli police race to meet settlers' demands.
"Israeli soldiers and police at times intervened to stop settlers attacking Palestinians, often when Israeli or international peace activists were present," the report said.
"However, in most cases they failed to intervene and often responded to settlers' attacks by imposing further restrictions on the local Palestinian population, as demanded by the settlers."
The report said the reluctance to pursue the settlers or soldiers through the civil courts was not replicated when it came to the Palestinians who are often tried before military courts sitting without a jury.
"Trials before military courts often did not meet international standards of fairness, with allegations of torture and ill-treatment of detainees inadequately investigated," it added.
By contrast, Amnesty said Israel used all means at its disposal, including assassinations, collective punishment and other measures that violate international law, against Palestinians who carried out attacks against Israelis or were suspected of direct or indirect involvement in such attacks.