UN probes human rights breaches in counter-terror acts

GENEVA - The United Nations has created the post of special investigator to probe counter-terrorism measures which violate basic human rights.

The 53 member states of the UN Commission on Human Rights - including the United States - adopted by consensus a resolution proposed by Mexico and set up the post for three years.

The resolution, co-sponsored by 70 countries, expressed solidarity with victims of terrorism and their families, and reaffirmed the Commission's "unequivocal condemnation" of terrorism in all its forms as "criminal and unjustifiable".

But it deeply deplored "the occurrence of violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the context of the fight against terrorism".

It called on states to "ensure that any measure taken to combat terrorism complies with their obligations under international law".

Activists have lobbied since the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States for the forum to probe allegations that the war on terrorism has led some countries to target certain ethnic or religious groups or deprive suspects of their legal rights.

"It is the most important decision of this Commission," said Loubna Freih, spokeswoman of the New York-based group Human Rights Watch.

"It is now time to start looking at the issue of how governments around the world - not only the United States - are fighting terrorism and whether they are complying with international law," she told a news briefing.

Governments including Britain, Canada, Germany and the United States are increasingly transferring terrorist suspects back to countries where they risk torture, in violation of international law, Human Rights Watch said in a recent report.

In a joint statement last week, groups including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the International Commission of Jurists had called for the new post.

"The special rapporteur would monitor counterterrorism laws and practices for their compatibility with human rights, act to prevent human rights violations arising from counterterrorism measures and provide technical assistance to states," they said.

The forum, which winds up its annual six-week session today, last year appointed an independent expert to draw up a report on counterterrorism.

The expert, Robert Goldman, reported that a "broad range of human rights have come under increasing pressure or are being violated by states in the context of counterterrorism initiatives".

His concerns included: the prolonged or indefinite incommunicado detention of terrorist suspects without access to courts; inhumane treatment during interrogation; military tribunals to try civilians; transfer or "rendition" of suspects to third states which "routinely practise torture".

Some countries have also resorted to "profiling" people to identify terrorist suspects or prevent them from entering their territory, according to Goldman, an American lawyer.

- REUTERS