Human Rights Lose out in the War Against Terror

The similarity of the statements is striking. Only a week ago, Amnesty International warned there should be no trade off between human rights and security. On Thursday and Friday, UN human rights commissioner Mary Robinson voiced very similar concerns in speeches in London and Geneva.

Robinson and Amnesty International both referred to legislation rushed through by a number of governments to combat terrorism after the September 11 attacks. Both pointed out that some governments had stepped up repression, stifled political dissent and undermined human rights since September 11 – and justified these acts with the fight against terrorism.

"The great concern now is that where mature democracies blur the lines or set a bad example, undemocratic regimes consider they are given a green light to pursue repressive policies, secure in the belief that any excesses will be ignored," Robinson (photo) said in London.

Fortress Europe, fortress America

The UN human rights commissioner sees an alarming trend in Western nations shutting themselves off from the developing world.

Prior to her London speech, Robinson had protested against new security measures pushed through by the Bush administration in the U.S. She criticized the tightening of immigration legislation and described plans to strengthen security at the nation's entry points as "worrying".

"I think there are worrying aspects," Robinson said in a radio interview, "because it is grouping hundreds of thousands of people, the vast majority of whom are completely innocent." Robinson said she was glad that this had also raised concerns within the United States.

In Thursday night's speech at London's Commonwealth Institute, Mary Robinson also put the spotlight on Europe: The UN High Commissioner said a fortress mentality had taken hold of the continent. "As controls are tightened, there is a coarsening of debate and of language used in speaking of asylum seekers and immigrants in Europe. This, together with the resurgence of anti-Semitism, are challenges which must be faced by European leaders and citizens alike.

Insecurity in the developing world

According to the High Commissioner, fighting the scourge of terrorism requires a comprehensive approach. "We need to build on the wider recognition that emerged out of the 11 September outrage of the many causes of human insecurity. The very real security fears of New Yorkers and the developed world in general are matched by the equally immediate insecurity of people in the developing world."

Robinson (photo) told her audience that human security not only encompasses physical threats arising from terrorism and violent conflicts but the insecurities that stem from underdevelopment and poverty, from rampant disease, from discrimination and unequal trade.

Mrs. Robinson said that all forms of insecurity and the grievances they generate can be and are exploited by violent groups. "Conflict, human rights violation underdevelopment and poverty cannot be de-coupled".

Robinson ended her speech with an appeal to learn the lessons of September 11. "We now understand in a more profound way that no nation can isolate or exclude itself from the effects of global problems of endemic poverty and conflict," she said. "If it is to succeed in its goal of ensuring greater human security, combating terror must also be a war on disadvantage, discrimination, and despair."

And that statement echoed something UN Secretary General Kofi Annan (photo) said earlier this year: "Human rights, along with democracy and social justice, are one of the best prophylactics against terrorism."