WRITTEN QUESTION E-1391/02

Submission: To the Commission and the Council

02 May 2002

Subject: Security and Human Rights

Following the tragic events of September 11, there is growing concern about how national security has become the primary concern of many governments at the expense of human rights, often leading to the creation of secondary, parallel systems of justice.

Recently, Amnesty International, the Cairo Institute for Human Rights, and other Non-Governmental Organizations presented an open statement to the United Nations Human Rights Committee, urging states to ensure that any measures they take to combat terrorism comply with their human rights obligations. The aforementioned NGOs expressed their support for Mary Robinson’s call for the creation of a mechanism to assess the human rights implications of anti-terrorism measures taken by states, and additionally requested the High Commissioner to prepare a report on the impacts of these measures on human rights, which would then make recommendations for their effective implementation.

What is the Commission’s position regarding the views of the Non-Governmental Organizations and Ms. Robinson, and does it intend to take measures to support and implement them?