Freimut Duve: fighting terrorism should not be used as an excuse to violate basic human rights
VIENNA, 27 September 2001 (OSCE) - The world public is still mourning the victims of the 11 September attacks on New York and Washington, D.C. Many governments are already actively developing new approaches to their security, looking at novel ways to prevent any such attacks against the civilian populations.
"At this difficult time, especially when the main perpetrators of the crime are still at large, it is important to underline the need to continue adhering firmly to the values of our organizations," stressed Freimut Duve, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, during his meeting with Lord Russell-Johnston, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 27 September in Strasbourg.
Freimut Duve fully supports the views expressed by the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Romanian Foreign Minister Mircea Geoana, who recently stated that "we should not use the fight against terrorism as an excuse for human rights abuses."
This not only concerns the newly established democracies where the fragility of human rights is still evident, but also the old democracies where certain security concerns may prevail over civil liberties. In the view of Freimut Duve such rights as freedom of expression, protection of privacy and the rights of minorities may be at risk.
"All global initiatives against acts of terror should not justify in any way the undermining of an individual's basic human rights - the pillars on which the whole concept of our two organizations is based," noted the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media during his extensive talks with senior officials from the Council of Europe. Freimut Duve hopes that other international governmental and non-governmental organizations would support his call for tolerance and respect for human rights at this time of crisis.
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For further information please contact the office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, tel. + 43 1 512 21 45-0, Fax + 43 1 512 21 45-9.