by Julio Godoy Source: Inter Press Service News Agency URL: [link] Date: September 08, 2008 RIGHTS: Fighting the 'War on Terror'
by Julio Godoy The "war on terror" in the aftermath of the attacks of Sep. 11, 2001 has undermined human rights globally, according to activists and experts who attended a UN conference in Paris. "Immediately after Sep. 11 we saw a dramatic change in government policies with regard to terrorism, suspected terrorism, and the monitoring of citizens, with the underlying assumption that human rights norms as established in conventions and treaties no longer apply," Joanne Mariner, director of the terrorism and counter-terrorism programme at Human Rights Watch said at the conference in Paris last week. The trend has worsened over the last seven years, Mariner said.

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