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In many countries of the Commonwealth, counter-terrorism measures
are reshaping civilian policing in violation of fundamental human
rights and posing a serious challenge to meaningful democratic
police reform. This is happening in a number of ways - significantly
through the enactment of laws that include vague definitions of
terrorism which allow for the laws to be broadly applied and extend
police powers to arbitrarily stop and search, use unreasonable
and excessive force, arrest without warrant, preventively detain,
detain suspects for long-periods without charge and limit fundamental
due process rights. Counter-terrorism policing in many countries
is undermining already struggling police oversight and accountability
instruments designed to safeguard against police abuse. This is
happening with anti-terrorism responses that: give police increased
immunity from prosecution, see police forces joining with unregulated
security bodies (such as military and intelligence forces), the
integration of national and foreign security actors, and the scope
for unreported secret police operations under new laws.
Stamping
Out Rights: The impact of anti-terrorism laws on policing
CHRI's
2007 Report Stamping
out Rights: The impact of anti-terrorism laws on policing,
looks at the impact of anti-terrorism legislation on policing
in the Commonwealth. The report examines:
-
new counter-terrorism legislation and measures that have been
adopted in the Commonwealth;
-
how these measures are impacting policing on the ground;
-
the compatibility of legislation and policing practices at international
law;
-
how anti-terrorism policing measures are impacting on police
oversight and accountability mechanisms; and
-
offers recommendations to Commonwealth heads of government,
member states, heads of police, civil society and donors.
Click
here
to download an electronic copy of Stamping Out Rights.
Click here
to request a hardcopy.
Click
here
to download an electronic copy of the executive summary of Stamping
Out Rights. Click here
to request a hardcopy of the executive summary.
Commonwealth
Anti-Terrorism and Policing Country Reports
Background
country reports focusing on anti-terrorism legislation and policing
in specific jurisdictions can be accessed by clicking below.
These
country reports are current as of 1 March 2007.
For further specific country information, go to the Commonwealth
police news updates (with links to current policing news throughout
the Commonwealth) or specific country
pages.
- Australia
- Antigua
& Barbuda
- Bangladesh
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belize
- Botswana
- Cameroon
- Canada
- Fiji
Islands
- India
- Kenya
- Kiribati
- Maldives
- Papua
New Guinea
- Samoa
- Solomon
Islands
- South
Africa
- Srilanka
- Tanzania
- Trinidad
& Tobago
- United
Kingdom
- Vanuatu
Contact
us
For
more information, please contact Louise Edwards (Police Reform
Programme (International) at louise@humanrightsinitiative.org
or Iniyan Ilango (Human Rights Advocacy) at iniyan@humanrightsinitiative.org.
CHRI
material on counter-terrorism, policing and human rights
- Findings
and Recommendations of CHRI's Report on the impact of Counter-Terrorism
on Policing by Arnaud Chaltin, Consultant, CHRI.
- Respecting
democracy and human rights while legislating counter-terrorism
by Arnaud Chaltin, Consultant, CHRI.
- Counter
terrorism or Justification of Torture by Arnaud Chaltin,
Consultant, CHRI.
- Theme
paper on counter-terrorism and police accountability, 11-13
June 2007, Nairobi.
- CHRI
submission to the International Commission of Jurists, February
2007.
- UN
Counter-terrorism Committee
- A
Reflection on Real Security for Uganda
- ICJ
Press Release
- The
need to reconcile security and human rights.
- Anti-terrorism,
the legislation and human rights: a comparative analysis of
the Commonwealth Model Law.
- Submissions
to the Review Committee on Prevention of Terrorism Act 2000
(India).
- Anti-terror
legislation in the Commonwealth 2004 (update)
- Human
rights and anti-terror legislation in the Commonwealth 2003
- Human
rights and anti-terrorism legislation in the Commonwealth conference
2003
- Submission
of CHRI to the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG)
2003
- Terrorist
talk? The right to freedom of expression in the ‘war on
terror’ - Media release from the Commonwealth Human
Rights Initiative, World Press Freedom Day, Thursday 3 May 2007.
- Security
at what price?Counter Terrorism Committee to present assessments
of counter terrorism measures taken by member states to UN Security
Council - Media release from CHRI, May 2007.
- Commonwealth
PoliceWatch EMAG, Vol. 9 November 2007.
Media
Links
- In
the name of fighting terror, News 24, November 20, 2007.
- Uganda-Commonwealth-human
rights - Commonwealth delegates condemn human rights abuses
in Gambia, APA News, November 19, 2007.
- War
on terrorism leads to rights abuses - watchdog, Africa
Reuters, November 19, 2007.
- War
on terrorism leads to rights abuses: watchdog, Washington
Post, November 19, 2007.
- War
on terrorism leads to rights abuses, China Daily News,
November 19, 2007.
- War
on terrorism leads to rights abuses: watchdog, The News
(Pakistan), November 19, 2007.
- War
on terrorism leads to rights abuses: watchdog, ABC News,
November 19, 2007.
- Commentary:
Using terrorism to justify dictatorship - Musharraf's illegitimate
emergency, Caribbean Net News, November 13, 2007.
Useful Related Links
Civil
Society
Commonwealth
Secretariat
EU
UN Websites
USA
Reports
& Articles
Online
Libraries
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