26 May 2004 09:10 UTC
In its annual report, Amnesty International condemns terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda for "callous, cruel and criminal attacks." But it alleges the U.S. administration has "damaged justice and freedom, and made the world a more dangerous place" by "violating rights at home, turning a blind eye to abuses abroad, and using pre-emptive military force where and when it chooses."
The report released Wednesday by the London-based group criticizes countries that follow the U.S. lead in fighting terror for allegedly ignoring international laws by sacrificing human rights in what the group calls the "blind pursuit" of security.
The report is critical of alleged regressive anti-terror legislation, attacks on refugee protections, and restrictions on freedom.
Amnesty says the combined effect of terrorist attacks and human rights violations by countries has been to create the most serious assault on rights and humanitarian law in half a century, and a world of growing mistrust, fear and divisions.
Amnesty International also says the U.S.-led war on terrorism has led to hundreds of people being detained in South Asia on suspicion of ties to al-Qaida or other terrorist groups.
The organization says authorities throughout the region often ignored legal norms in treating such detainees.
It said torture, disappearances, illegal executions and other violations of human rights were routinely taking place in Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri lanka.
In Afghanistan, Amnesty says the country's legal system allows the wealthy to evade justice while the poor face arrest and torture. It says convictions are also often based on scant evidence.
Amnesty says in various Indian states the legitimate activities of human rights workers continue to be branded as "anti-national."
Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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A leading human rights group has strongly criticized the U.S.-led global war on terror, saying it uses "indiscriminate and disproportionate means."
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The human rights group says the war on terrorism is "bankrupt of vision" and lacking principle, and it accuses the United States of unlawful killings of Iraqi civilians, and of questionable arrest and mistreatment of prisoners in Iraq, Guantanamo Bay and Afghanistan.
