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In Jordan a teenage boy is dragged along the ground behind a Toyota pick-up truck.
In Gambia a man is seized by masked men, hooded, bound, flown to an unknown destination and tortured. In Morocco a UK resident reports being detained and cut with a scalpel all over his body.
The ‘excuse’ given for each of these abuses can be summed up in four words – ‘the war on terror’. It’s an excuse used not only by countries allied to the US – such as Pakistan and Jordan - but also by countries with their own very specific agendas to pursue. From the giants of China and Russia to the east African state of Eritrea, the ‘war on terror’ has come to be seen as a green light of approval to secret detention, ‘disappearances’ and torture.
Since the attacks on the USA on 11 September 2001 and the subsequent 'war on terror' we have been calling on governments to respect human rights in their counter-terrorism efforts. At first many ignored us, but there is now a growing realisation that security cannot be achieved by resorting to unlawful practices. We demand an end to these practices, an end to impunity and a respect for human rights.
