In the fight against terrorism and corruption its

imperative not to compromise human rights and civil

liberties:

OUTLINE:
1) Introduction

2) Simple justification of human rights

3)Overview of the problem of terrorism and corruption in the world context

4) In 2009 the International Commission of Jurists published ‘Assessing

Damage, Urging Action’, the report of its Eminent Jurists Panel on Terrorism,
Counter-terrorism and Human Rights. The Panel conducted a comprehensive
survey on counterterrorism and human rights since 2001. It found extensive
evidence of grave human rights abuses:

Individuals have been abducted and held in secret prisons, where they have
been tortured and ill-treated;

Terrorist suspects are held incommunicado for extended periods before being
charged and before they have access to lawyers, courts and the outside world
in conditions that are conducive to, and have led to, torture and cruel,
inhuman and degrading treatment;

Individuals charged with terrorism are often tried before special or military
courts, which lack the requisite guarantees of independence and impartiality,
and do not offer essential fair trial guarantees;

Deportation, detention and administrative measures adversely affecting

persons suspected of being involved in or supporting terrorism are often
ordered on the basis of secret intelligence which is not disclosed to the
affected persons;

Broadly framed anti-terrorist legislation has encroached upon fundamental

freedoms of speech, opinion and assembly;

Many counter-terrorist measures lack basic safeguards such as due process

and adequate oversight mechanisms;

A culture of secrecy is becoming pervasive and, in the case of secret

detentions, suspects are being placed beyond the basic protections afforded by
human rights standards, international humanitarian law and all domestic
constitutional guarantees;

The secrecy demanded for the work of the intelligence and security bodies
frequently amounts to impunity for wrong-doing, and innocent victims of
human rights violations find themselves with no avenue for redress.