Justice Must Not Be The Next Casualty

In the aftermath of the appalling loss of human life resulting from the 11 September attacks in the USA, the world stands at a crossroads, Irene Khan, Secretary General of Amnesty International warned today.

"As an international community we can choose a path which honours our highest values and respects the human rights of all people, or one that seeks revenge and allows the perpetrators to set the moral tone of the world's agenda."

Arguing that what happens in the coming days and weeks may have profound consequences for the world, Irene Khan urged the international community to pursue every measure possible to bring the perpetrators to justice before resorting to armed intervention. She said, "The perpetrators must be brought to justice but it will only be justice if the means by which it is achieved are in themselves just and uphold the human rights of all people."

Writing to the United Nations Security Council, Amnesty International again condemned the attacks in the US and said, "We strongly urge the Security Council to ensure that in the search for justice, states exhaust all measures to apprehend and prosecute the suspected perpetrators without risking the lives, well-being or human rights of civilian populations."

Amnesty International welcomes the Presidential statement from the Security Council on Tuesday (18th September) noting a variety of options for bringing Usama bin Laden to justice, and added, "The international community must invest its resources and imagination in finding other means of achieving justice in full accordance with human rights standards in this case, before resorting to armed intervention. The victims of this appalling crime deserve justice not revenge."

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