The Land Center for Human Rights received in panic the news of the American strike against Afghanistan Sunday night, October 7, 2001. This war as expected form the American statements is going to be a long-term war that will extend to reach other areas. Consequently, the extent of this war or its consequences is unknown. Thus the LCHR regards raging this war resulting in the death of many victims to be an unaccepted action even if it aims to fight terrorism. War in itself is considered to be a striking violation against the human right in living. No doubt, war is regarded to be the greatest violation for this right and for the value of life.
The United States has chosen the method of war as a sole method to fight war as a response for the Tuesday attacks on September 11, 2001 on World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington causing the death of thousands of victims. Despite all warnings and calls of the Human Rights Organizations, the Civil Rights Movements as well as peace believers in the World claiming that war constitutes at the end a victory for terrorism and a domination of the logic of violence and power, the United States, unfortunately, continued to take the route of war disregarding any other choices that respect the human rights and the principles of International Laws.
What is noticed in this respect that the American Administration ignored the following facts in its process of revenge:
I) There are no decisive proofs. There are only a number of statements here or there. Moreover, there are no legal sentences proving the validity of these proofs, which is considered a strike against the least principles of justice.
II) The United States decided to direct attacks against the Taliban Government which will, in turn, cause the death of million of Afghanistan civilians. All those who care about applying the law know that they should differentiate between the guilty and the victims, between criminals and the surrounding civilians, and between those who commit terrible deeds and those who do not believe except in their beliefs, their racial or national origins. Therefore, it is not at all right for human beings who believe in justice, law, or the human rights to descend to the level of those who commit those deeds. This is the most important differentiation.
III) The United States insist on disregarding the Security Council and to take all the action away from the umbrella of the United Nations, which is considered a clear violation against all agreements that the entire world abides to.
IV) The United States announced that its aim is to get rid of Taliban Government which is a matter ignoring all rights of people in self-determination.
This situation resulted in two important aspects:
I) The increase of attacks on freedoms which all the European nations had such as the freedom of expression or movement. Moreover, they guarantee the freedom of media and against any interference in its affairs. In addition to that, there is an increasing tendency to pressure citizens and to overhear citizens. We believe that manipulating the shock and the rage from the major losses of souls to justify taking actions that will lead to more violations to the human rights.
All governments in Europe and others hastened to put laws that threaten to pressure the civil freedoms and reduce available guarantees against violations of the human rights.
A number of countries are discussing now preparations to rage a restrain campaign against illegitimate immigrants that will restrict the rights of those seeking asylum. In the E.U discussions are held to modify the definition of the word “refugee” which will restrain the rights of refugees stated in the United Nations’ agreements concerned with the conditions of refugees.
The Amnesty International warned that there is danger from the increase in the restraining of governments to its enemies in which the world concentrates on other places. Moreover, the Organization added that as the world is not paying attention to certain countries, processes of violations and restraint would continue with no fear of any blame. As for example, the Israeli security forces killed more than twelve Palestinians including a child (14 years old), during the following two days to the 11 September attacks. Ironically, this violence did not attract any kind of attention from the different international media. The Israeli Defense Minister, Benjamin Eliazar announced in a newspaper interview, “ In fact, we killed 14 Palestinians while the world was silent which is considered a catastrophe to Arafat.
II) The increase of racial movements and reactions against some minorities from Asian origins in at least ten countries. The report sheds light on the first worrying signs for this “war against terrorism” that could be used to rage a restraint campaign against civil freedoms and human rights. It is obvious that there are a number of racial hatred crimes related directly to the attacks that took place in New York and Washington. Many men and women of different ages were exposed to aggravations and to dangerous assaults in streets, schools, and places of jobs due to their real or expected religious or national identities.
The Land Center for Human Rights believes that it is not right that the panic from the September 11 attacks to become a reason to convert other people around the world to victims in the name of war against terrorism or to rage a violent war on Afghanistan or on any other country leading to the death of thousands of civilians to be added to the list of terrorist victims. We condemn either whoever cause it because they practice the worst human crimes that violates the humans’ right in living. Therefore, the Center decided to join those movements that started in many countries in the world to stop this war and to protect those who seek asylum in order to benefit from just and adequate procedures in judging those refuge demands. In addition to that, refugees should not be returned to their countries if the latter practice crucial violations against human rights. Moreover, hatred crimes should be condemned and those responsible for these crimes should be exposed to the law.
Finally, the Land Center for Human Rights believes that a long-term war will result in more terrorism as much as the death of many victims. It also indicates that killing civilians is much a crime with all its meanings either through terrorist actions or in the name of war against terrorism. The LCHR is also regretfully regarding the unity and the alliance of the International society for the sake of the war. On the other side, this society fails to unite continuously in destroying the roots of terrorism, which, in turn, find in poverty, injustice, and the foreign occupation a fruitful soil.
Therefore, as the LCHR realizes the danger of the situation and its future consequences, it calls all peace believers, as well as freedom and justice believers all over the world to unite in order to stop the war and to protect the value of life. Moreover, the Center calls the United States to stop gambling on the logic of power and war as well as the policy of revenge. It also asks the United States to believe that a just world devoid of poverty, injustice, and occupation is the only way to prevent terrorism.