International Commission of Jurists confirm US and UK are Undermining International Law

The International Commission of Jurists has released a report which concluded that the framework of international law that existed before the 9/11 attacks on the US was robust and effective.But now, it said, it was being actively undermined by many states and liberal democracies like the US and the UK.
The panel said the legal systems put in place after World War II were "well-equipped to handle current terror threats".

It said countries should use civilian legal systems to try suspects and "not resort to ad-hoc tribunals or military courts to try terror suspects".

The report's authors expressed concern at the lack of adequate safeguards in the use of control orders, the weakness of diplomatic assurances in relation to deportations and "excessive detention without charge".

Britain's pre-trial detention time limit of 28 days is one of the longest in the world.

Mr Chaskelson, chairman of the panel, said: "In the course of this inquiry, we have been shocked by the extent of the damage done over the past seven years by excessive or abusive counter-terrorism measures in a wide range of countries around the world.

"Many governments, ignoring the lessons of history, have allowed themselves to be rushed into hasty responses to terrorism that have undermined cherished values and violated human rights.

"The result is a serious threat to the integrity of the international human rights legal framework."

READ MORE at:-

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7892387.stm

http://www.icj.org/news.php3?id_article=4453&lang=en

http://www.icj.org/IMG/EJP_PRESSE_RELEASE_16.02.09.pdf

http://www.icj.org/IMG/EJPReport.pdf

http://www.icj.org/IMG/EJPExecutiveSummary.pdf