Protecting human rights while countering terrorism

Measures to combat terrorism that violate human rights are counter-productive. They undermine the rule of law and the credibility of public authorities, reduce trust and cooperation with the people and communities they seek to protect and obstruct international cooperation in countering terrorism. As such, they weaken, rather than strengthen, the state’s ability to counter the threat posed by terrorism. Against this background, ODIHR provides expert analysis on a broad range of human rights and anti-terrorism issues. The Office supports participating States, upon request, in developing and implementing anti-terrorism laws and policies in line with international human rights standards. Furthermore, it promotes dialogue between governmental and non-governmental actors for human rights-compliant responses to terrorism and works to build the capacity of public officials, law enforcement and other target groups to respect, protect and promote human rights as a means to effectively prevent and combat terrorism.