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By Cecil Rajendra
On 20 September 2001, the President of the United States, George W Bush, in response to the horrific events of 11 September 2001, declared The War on Terror.
The President addressed all nations of the world and ordered them to make a choice:
'Every nation in every region now has a decision to make. Either you are with us or you are with the terrorists.'
This War on Terror was effectively inaugurated with the bombing of Afghanistan and subsequently extended to justify the invasion of Iraq, on the dubious premise that Iraq had a huge cache of weapons of mass destruction and posed an imminent threat to world peace.
If the first casualty of every War is Truth, then we can say that the biggest casualty of this so-called War on Terror has been human rights.
'There is an erosion of civil liberties in the name of combating terrorism', observed Mary Robinson, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
'We are getting reports from human rights defenders, trade unionists and journalists around the world that measures are being taken by countries saying that they're combating terrorism but, in fact, clamping down on political opposition, freedom of the press, branding activities as being terrorist which were not so described before 11 September 2001', she continued.
Taking their cue from the US, who at the very outset has demonstrated that it was not interested in pursuing a path under international law - detaining over 3,000 people in Guantanamo Bay, Egypt, Jordan and elsewhere without trial, charge or legal rights and often subjecting them to torture - many governments around the World are today using this so-called War on Terror as an excuse to carry out repressive policies and suppress internal dissent and opposition touting their own internal struggles as battles against terrorism e.g. Egypt, Israel, Russia, etc.
The most blatant example of the use of the war on terror for gross violation of human rights is the policy of Israel against the Palestinians. Ariel Sharon, the Prime Minister has repeatedly referred to Palestinian leader Yassir Arafat as 'our Bin Laden', and, claimed that his government's fight against the Palestinians as part and parcel of the war on terror.
In Egypt, the government has brushed off criticisms of torture and summary trials, suggesting that Western countries should 'think of Egypt's own fight against terror as their new model'. And as thanks for its contribution to this War on Terror, Egypt has secured for itself massive aid from the US Govt and tacit acceptance of its human rights violations.
In Russia, President Putin has embraced anti-terrorism rhetoric to defend his Govt's brutal campaign in Chechnya playing up alleged links between Osama and Chechen rebels.
And Malaysia, not to be outdone, in the true spirit of 'Malaysia Boleh', no less a person than the first Chairman of SUHAKAM - The Malaysian Commission of Human Rights -went on record asking whether it was time for human rights to take a back seat after the events of Sept 11?
It is questions such as these and the larger implications that the campaign on terror has had on human rights that this forum seeks to explore.
Published in Infoline October/November 2003
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