:: NEWS COCKTAIL aka BlahBlahBlog ::
"Everything is being compressed into tiny tablets. You take a little pill of news every day - 23 minutes - and that's supposed to be enough." -Walter Cronkite, RE TV news. The Web has changed that for many, however, and here is an extra dose for your daily news cocktail. This prescription tends to include surveillance and now war-related links, along with the occasional pop culture junk and whatever else seizes my attention as I scan online news sites.:: 5.28.2003 ::
:: War on terror has heightened insecurity, Amnesty International says ::
An AP report from The San Francisco Chronicle:
In its annual report, the international human rights organization said that human rights have been threatened, international laws have been undermined and governments have been shielded from scrutiny -- all in the cause of fighting terrorism.
"Draconian measures by democratic as well as autocratic governments to intrude and intercept, to arrest and detain suspects without trial and to deport people with no regard to their fate, weakened human rights protection of individuals as well as respect for the standards of international law," said Irene Khan, Amnesty International's secretary-general.
"The USA continued to detain prisoners from the war in Afghanistan in defiance of international humanitarian law, turned a blind eye to reports of torture or ill-treatment of suspects by its officials and allies, and sought to undermine the International Criminal Court through bilateral agreements. In the process, it undermined its own moral authority to speak out against human rights violations in other parts of the world.
"Action that makes people feel insecure cannot make states or societies secure. Because of the real or alleged actions of a few individuals, entire communities identified by race, religion or national origin are being viewed with suspicion. The result is growing unease and uncertainty among large sections of the population."
From The Guardian UK:
War on terror has trampled on human rights, says Amnesty
The "war on terror" has left people around the world feeling more scared than at any time since the cold war ended, Amnesty International claimed today.
The organisation's annual report also said that the fight against terrorism was being used by countries including the US and Britain as an excuse to trample on human rights.
People around the world were feeling more insecure than they had for decades despite the huge sums being spent to fight terrorism following the September 11 attacks on the US, Amnesty said.
The campaigning group's secretary-general, Irene Khan, said: "What would have been unacceptable on September 10 2001, is now becoming almost the norm."
She added: "In the name of security, politics and profit, human rights were trampled the world over by governments, armed groups and corporate activity."
posted by me
:: 9:56:00 AM [+] ::
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