To address the issue of balancing efforts to counter violent extremism and protect human rights, this program published the book, “Counter-Terrorism: International Law and Practice,” and created a multi-national counter-terrorism expert network. The publication and recommendations resulting from this program were designed to provide guidelines for approaches to counter-terrorism that avoid human rights violations and respect the rule of law.
Challenge
Counter-terrorism is seen as a necessary mechanism for protecting citizens against unwarranted violence, but by engaging in activities such as terrorist classification and coercive interrogation, counter-terrorist measures may sometimes blur the line between human rights protections and human rights violations. So, how can legitimate security imperatives be accommodated within the international rule of law framework?
Program Summary
With the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy 2006 as its bedrock, the project sought to identify and make recommendations that would strengthen the counter-terrorism framework in law and practice. A multinational, multidisciplinary approach was adopted, drawing upon the expertise and perspectives of over 50 significant contributors from around the world including judges, policymakers, academics, military officials and civil society leaders. The objective was to make counter-terrorism-related policy recommendations which satisfied governmental and intergovernmental imperatives, but remained compliant to the rule of law. This solution-oriented approach was aimed primarily at governmental and intergovernmental practitioners and policymakers.
Impact
The project resulted in four significant outputs:
- A book entitled “Counter-Terrorism: International Law and Practice,” published by Oxford Press;
- A project report that summarizes key findings and recommendations;
- A report linking key project findings to the UN Secretary General’s Five Year Agenda of Reform on rule of law matters; and
- The establishment of a multinational counter-terrorism expert network, which engages in multinational, multilateral dissemination of key outputs, both at the governmental and intergovernmental level.
Partners
The project was a collaborative effort between:
- Nottingham University, UK (Dr. Katja Samuel and Professor Nigel White);
- Club of Madrid (80+ former heads of state from 56 countries committed to further democratic values worldwide);
- Dr. Silvia Casale (formerly President of the UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture, and of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture); and
- Malága University, Spain (Professor Ana María Salinas de Friás).