Human Rights and Terrorism
- Document number
- 1174
- Date
- 2003
- Title
- Human Rights and Terrorism
- Author/publisher
- Netherlands Helsinki Committee
- Availability
- LSI library
- Document type(s)
- Meeting Documentation/Conference Reports,
- Keywords
- Seminar in the Hall of Knights, The Hague, The Netherlands 17-18 September 2003,
- Summary
- On September 11, 2001, the terrorist network Al-Qaeda struck on American soil, leaving thousands killed. A global ‘fight against terrorism’ ensued. Two years into this fight, it seems clear that friction exists between effective protection of national security on the one hand, and the protection of human rights on the other. Basically, two opposite views on this matter are heard. Some say the fight against terrorism can’t be won without fully respecting all human rights, because otherwise the elimination of one terrorist group will inevitably fuel the hatred and extremism that are breeding grounds for new terrorism. Others maintain that national security is a common good that may demand some sacrifices from individuals, i.e. some infringement on their fully enjoying their human rights. Such infringement may, for instance, be compared with the paying of taxes in order to guarantee social security. Where two quite reasonable, yet mutually exclusive views exist, obviously there’s a call for debate. This is why the Netherlands Helsinki Committee, a Dutch NGO, with support from the Netherlands OSCE Chairmanship-in-Office, organized the seminar “Human rights and terrorism” on September 18, 2003 in The Hague. The seminar was well attended, by delegates from OSCE countries, OSCE partner-organizations, international organizations and NGO’s. Speeches on the issue were given by eminent experts in the field, followed by lively and most interesting debates among participants. The main conclusion: all countries fighting terrorism face the challenge of bridging the gap between theory and practice; theoretically everyone agrees on the need for respecting human rights, but differences of opinion occur about whether human rights really are respected in practice. As an immediate follow-up, the seminar’s conclusions will be fed into several upcoming ministerial conferences on the subject. This booklet contains the full texts of the seminar’s speeches and debates, supplemented with concise summaries and references to relevant documents. The organizer of this seminar, The Netherlands Helsinki Committee, hopes that this booklet will inspire and enlighten decision-makers all over the world, to strive for liberty and democratic rule for all their citizens.
To order the book : https://www.bol.com/nl/f/human-rights-and-terrorism/9200000049414393/ - Related documents