Terrorism

Boumediene v. Bush: Guantánamo and justice

June 2008

Peter Weiss

A core principle of the United States constitution has been vindicated by the latest Guantánamo-related Supreme Court decision, says Peter Weiss of the Center for Constitutional Rights

The Supreme Court of the United States ruled by a 5-4 majority on 12 June 2008 in favour of a case brought on behalf of detainees held at Guantánamo, whose effect is to declare that those incarcerated in the military prison-camp there have full rights of habeas corpus under the US constitution.

Torture in 'democracies'

June 2008

Achin Vanaik

Let us talk about torture and how three countries, widely considered to be remarkable democracies – India, US and Israel – hush it up. Israel, unlike the other two, is not a democracy by any genuine legal or moral standard. It denies a fifth of its population (Israeli Arabs not living in the occupied territories) equal citizenship rights. It is in fact a non-secular, explicitly communal “Jewish state” which Constitutionally-legally discriminates on the grounds of religion.

Fighting terrorism the wrong way

June 2008

Praful Bidwai

The clamour for a war-like approach to fighting terrorism is based on wrong assumptions, which are incompatible with constitutional-legal rights

THE government’s response to the Jaipur bomb blasts follows what has become an established and predictable pattern: invoke “the foreign hand” by naming the Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami (HuJI), the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JEM) and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), or their “collaborators” in the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), make contradictory statements about the explosives and detonation methods used, speculate on local “sleepe r

Fighting terrorism after Jaipur

May 2008

Praful Bidwai

The Jaipur bomb blasts, which claimed 66 precious lives, does not justify following the US strategy for fighting terror but must be based on improving policing, revamping intelligence agencies, and respecting human rights.

Britain's financial Guantanamo

April 2008

Ben Hayes

A little known UK government legal order forces individuals merely "suspected of terrorism" to have all their assets seized and forced to appeal for funds to even feed themselves.

This Thursday [24 April 2008], Mr Justice Collins of the High Court will deliver his judgment the case of 'G', 'K', 'A', 'M', and 'Q' v. H.M. Treasury. In the words of Rabinder Singh QC, "the facts of the case are reminiscent of an Austro-Hungarian novel". At issue are two 'Orders in Council' adopted under the 1946 United Nations Act.

Afghanistan and the Pakistan crisis

March 2008

Mariano Aguirre

Scarce attention to poverty alleviation and blind reliance on military might has brought the western forces in Afghanistan to a standstill. Putting Pakistan into the equation is a key to any solution in Afghanistan.

"Derzeit kann niemand Bhuttos Rolle übernehmen"

January 2008

Jochen Hippler

Interview

Der Mord an der Oppositionsführerin Bhutto stürzt Pakistan in eine tiefe Krise. ''In absehbarer Zeit kann niemand Bhuttos Rolle übernehmen'', sagt Politikwissenschaftler Hippler von der Uni Duisburg-Essen im tagesschau.de-Interview. Für Präsident Muscharraf wird die Lage mit Bhuttos Tod noch schwieriger.