Rebutting the False Choice Between Security and Freedom

A three-year review of more than 40 countries has found that justice systems prior to 9/11 were perfectly capable of combating terrorism. The U.S. and Britain were especially opportunistic in their violations of human rights and international law and gave comfort by example to other abusive regimes, the International Commission of Jurists found.

BBC:

The report remarks upon the extent to which undemocratic regimes with poor human rights records have referred to counter-terror practices of countries like the US to justify their own abusive policies.

The report will make uncomfortable reading for many in governments on both sides of the Atlantic, says BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner.

The panel said the legal systems put in place after World War II were “well-equipped to handle current terror threats”.

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U.S. Army / Staff Sgt. Jon Soucy

A U.S. soldier stands guard over one of Guantanamo Bay’s maximum-security cellblocks.