Freedom or Security?
The exchange of data, video surveillance and biometric passports are all measures European politicians believe are necessary to protect the population against terrorist attacks. But won't these measures curtail freedom and human rights excessively?
euro|topics-Dossiers on Terror and Anti-Terror Laws
Main focus of Wednesday, 4. July 2007
In the aftermath of the failed terrorist attacks in Great Britain, the media discuss the appropriate and effective means for fighting terrorism. While the British ... » more
In the aftermath of the failed terrorist attacks in Great Britain, the media discuss the appropriate and effective means for fighting terrorism. While the British remain calm, others call for stricter controls and increased surveillance.
More from the press review on the subject » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Domestic Policy, » Religion, » Minorities, » Weltanschauung, » Europe
All available articles from » Helmut Hetzel
Main focus of Monday, 2. July 2007
Just a few days after Britain's new Prime Minister Gordon Brown assumed office, a burning car crashed into Glasgow's airport terminal and two car bombs ... » more
Just a few days after Britain's new Prime Minister Gordon Brown assumed office, a burning car crashed into Glasgow's airport terminal and two car bombs were defused in London. The UK is at its highest state of alert. Europe fears further terrorist attacks.
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Domestic Policy, » United Kingdom, » Europe
All available articles from » Jörg Winterfeldt
Main focus of Friday, 13. April 2007
The terrorist bombings perpetrated this week in Morocco and Algeria have revived fears of terrorist attacks in Europe and instigated renewed debate in several countries ... » more
The terrorist bombings perpetrated this week in Morocco and Algeria have revived fears of terrorist attacks in Europe and instigated renewed debate in several countries on how to prevent them.
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All available articles from » David Broman
Main focus of Monday, 11. September 2006
The September 11 attacks on New York and Washington shook the world. At the time, people said the world would never be the same. Five ... » more
The September 11 attacks on New York and Washington shook the world. At the time, people said the world would never be the same. Five years later commentators explore whether this is true. Did September 11 and the ensuing war on terrorism mark the beginning of a new era?
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Global
Main focus of Thursday, 24. August 2006
Recent weeks have seen a resurgence in the fear of terrorism on European soil, ever since British and German authorities revealed alleged terrorist plots against the two countries. A ... » more
Recent weeks have seen a resurgence in the fear of terrorism on European soil, ever since British and German authorities revealed alleged terrorist plots against the two countries. A debate is underway over the scale of this threat and how Europe can best protect itself.
More from the press review on the subject » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Domestic Policy, » Europe
Main focus of Wednesday, 16. August 2006
After the discovery of a planned terrorist attack on airplanes, and almost five years after the attack of September 11, several European countries are planning ... » more
After the discovery of a planned terrorist attack on airplanes, and almost five years after the attack of September 11, several European countries are planning to tighten their anti-terror laws. Commentators discuss the possible contours of a security architecture which responds to terrorist threats without upsetting the balance between security and democracy.
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Main focus of Tuesday, 15. August 2006
The United Kingdom last week announced it had foiled a series of terrorist attacks. Those suspected of plotting them are British citizens of the Muslim ... » more
The United Kingdom last week announced it had foiled a series of terrorist attacks. Those suspected of plotting them are British citizens of the Muslim faith. How can their resentment against the United Kingdom be explained? Some blame Tony Blair's foreign policy, while others point to the failure of multicutural policies.One of the
More from the press review on the subject » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Religion, » Weltanschauung, » United Kingdom
Main focus of Friday, 11. August 2006
A year after the terrorist attacks on London's public transport system the British police has apparently been able to prevent another devastating attack. According to ... » more
A year after the terrorist attacks on London's public transport system the British police has apparently been able to prevent another devastating attack. According to the police, a group of British Muslims planned to blow up several passenger jets simultaneously within the next few days. This has reignited the discussion about how to deal with home-grown terrorism.
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Main focus of Thursday, 6. July 2006
On the eve of the first anniversary of the July 7, 2005 attacks in London, European Muslims are condemning the tendency to confuse Islam and ... » more
On the eve of the first anniversary of the July 7, 2005 attacks in London, European Muslims are condemning the tendency to confuse Islam and terrorism. How can they achieve full integration in Western society?
More from the press review on the subject » Religion, » Integration, » Weltanschauung, » Europe
Main focus of Friday, 7. July 2006
On July 7, 2005, London's public transport was struck by four suicide attacks. This tragic anniversary is an opportunity to reflect upon the steps taken ... » more
On July 7, 2005, London's public transport was struck by four suicide attacks. This tragic anniversary is an opportunity to reflect upon the steps taken by the British to fight terrorism, and to salute the sang-froid of ordinary citizens.
More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » United Kingdom
Main focus of Wednesday, 31. May 2006
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled on Tuesday, May 30 that the EU acted illegally when it gave a green light in 2004 to ... » more
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled on Tuesday, May 30 that the EU acted illegally when it gave a green light in 2004 to the transfer to american authorities of personal data on air passengers. The two sides have been given four months to come up with a new agreement. The European press analyses the upshot of this decision.
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Europe, » U.S.
Main focus of Wednesday, 26. April 2006
After the terrorist attacks in the Egyptian resort of Dahab in which over 20 people died, European commentators ask why terrorists have repeatedly targeted tourists. ... » more
After the terrorist attacks in the Egyptian resort of Dahab in which over 20 people died, European commentators ask why terrorists have repeatedly targeted tourists. Is this an attack on a specifically Western way of life? And how are Europe's avid travellers reacting?
More from the press review on the subject » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Tourism, » Global
Main focus of Friday, 24. February 2006
In a report published on February 23, the human rights organisation Amnesty International accuses the United Kingdom of contravening basic human rights with its antiterrorist ... » more
In a report published on February 23, the human rights organisation Amnesty International accuses the United Kingdom of contravening basic human rights with its antiterrorist legislation and of failing to speak out with real vigour against the US detention camp at Guantanamo Bay. Prime minister Tony Blair faces torrent of criticism.
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » United Kingdom
Viewpoints
Kathimerini - Greece | Monday, 25. June 2007
The proliferation of cameras could be the foundation of a culture of surveillance, akin to Orwell's 1984. However, Greek editor Nikos Konstandaras writes that on ... » more
The proliferation of cameras could be the foundation of a culture of surveillance, akin to Orwell's 1984. However, Greek editor Nikos Konstandaras writes that on the contrary, "Big Brother's little agents are being uncovered and paraded before the world's contemptuous gaze because of their ill treatment of prisoners. We saw this at Abu Ghraib in Baghdad; we saw it at the Omonia police station in Athens, where officers filmed themselves mistreating two prisoners. ... That's why we should be grateful for a technology that has put a digital camera in almost every pocket. ... We have seen cameras uncover brutality which, as revealed by later investigations, was routine but unreported. ... We should take down the surveillance cameras that have been installed on street corners and in public squares and set them up in every police station, coast guard station and prison - until such time that we feel that criminals, rather than officers of the law, are the greatest danger to our society and our civilization."
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Sme - Slovakia | Thursday, 28. December 2006
Slovak economic analyst Maros Balo accuses Europe of being less aware of the dangers of Islamic fundamentalism than the US. He fears "that to prevent ... » more
Slovak economic analyst Maros Balo accuses Europe of being less aware of the dangers of Islamic fundamentalism than the US. He fears "that to prevent an escalation in the conflict Europe may be tempted to give up its values, one of which is freedom. The Europeans are making another fatal mistake by underestimating their opponent. We regard Islamic terrorists as dangerous fanatics but we fail to take into account that they're also very intelligent and have studied at Western universities... Europe's Christian culture has (as a consequence of the waves of immigration since the 1970s) increasingly giving up ground to new majority societies... If Europe doesn't realise very soon what its position will be if it continues to deny its Christian values and continues to talk about dialogue between peoples and religions in the EU constitution, another culture will take the lead."
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Libération - France | Tuesday, 19. December 2006
For the Franco-Bulgarian philosopher Tzvetan Todorov, European countries may risk, like the United States before the military intervention in Iraq, "putting aside the truth" if they let themselves be governed by fear. "It may be that they are equipped with a few extra guard-rails, balancing out their deficiencies: » more
For the Franco-Bulgarian philosopher Tzvetan Todorov, European countries may risk, like the United States before the military intervention in Iraq, "putting aside the truth" if they let themselves be governed by fear. "It may be that they are equipped with a few extra guard-rails, balancing out their deficiencies: their plurality and thus their obligation to listen to their neighbours; even their knowledge that their recent past is not entirely glorious. But we cannot depend on this too much: it would be enough for some adversary to utter threats, for some spectacular news story to stir up general emotion, for the French, the Spanish, or the Italians to decide in turn that danger is imminent, that every means possible is justified in fighting it and that the time has passed for patiently seeking the truth. Thus we are already hearing about Islam, its army of terrorists or its future atomic bomb."
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New Statesman - United Kingdom | Monday, 11. December 2006
"Novelists are no longer just novelists - they are also global pundits shaping our opinions on everything from art, life and politics to civilisation as we know it", writes Ziauddin Sardar, a British author born in Pakistan. "The British literary landscape is dominated by three writers: » more
"Novelists are no longer just novelists - they are also global pundits shaping our opinions on everything from art, life and politics to civilisation as we know it", writes Ziauddin Sardar, a British author born in Pakistan. "The British literary landscape is dominated by three writers: Martin Amis, Salman Rushdie and Ian McEwan. All three have considered the central dilemma of our time: terror. ... They are the vanguard of British literary neoconservatives, or, if you like, the 'Blitcons'.The Blitcon project is based on three one- dimensional conceits. The first is the absolute supremacy of American culture. ... The second Blitcon conceit is that Islam is the greatest threat to this idea of civilisation. ... The third Blitcon conceit is that American ideas of freedom and democracy are not only right, but should be imposed on the rest of the world".
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All available articles from » Ziauddin Sardar
ABC - Spain | Thursday, 16. November 2006
Edurne Uriarte, Spanish professor of political science, criticises the 'Alliance of Civilizations' between the Western world and the Eastern world, an initiative proposed by the ... » more
Edurne Uriarte, Spanish professor of political science, criticises the 'Alliance of Civilizations' between the Western world and the Eastern world, an initiative proposed by the Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Zapatero and supported by the UN. "The Alliance of Civilizations implies that fundamentalism is rising in the same way everywhere in the world and proposes that efforts to fight it be equally shared among democratic and non-democratic countries, as if the problem of fanaticism were the same in the West as in the East and the problem were a clash of civilizations rather than a struggle between democrats and fundamentalists. The tandem of democracy and freedom is not the reference. ... On the subject of Islamist terrorism, Zapatero's proposition is quite simply unacceptable. It is not clear who is really responsible, global injustice or terrorists. I can understand why Mohammed Khatami, the former President of Iran, is delighted by such a text, but not a Spanish democrat."
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Le Jeudi - Luxembourg | Thursday, 14. September 2006
Jean Portante, writer and journalist from Luxembourg, considers the anti-terrorist struggle lead by the United States over five years. "September 11th allowed White House strategists ... » more
Jean Portante, writer and journalist from Luxembourg, considers the anti-terrorist struggle lead by the United States over five years. "September 11th allowed White House strategists to add a military option to their economic appetites? The whole, disguised as merciless struggle against the dark forces represented in the form of an 'axis of evil' identified among the most radical Islamic fundamentalists. Rarely has such a rift been seen between intentions and the ideology they are cloaked in. In a few years, George Bush has dilapidated the capital sum of sympathy regarding the victims of the World Trade Centre. This is the most insidious collateral damage made by a whole series of damaging decisions, causing the world to be globally experiencing, on this fifth anniversary of the New York tragedy, structural insecurity that has been unseen since 1945".
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Libération - France | Monday, 11. September 2006
The newspaper invited 13 public figures to give their opinion on September 11th, among whom Nicole Bacharan, United States specialist. According to her, "the 11th of September is an historical event in the sense that it has changed the course of History. It is the date that marks the entry into the 21st century, just as the Sarajevo assault [The assassination of Archduke François-Ferdinand, June 28th, 1914] had marked the entry into the 20th century. It is above all the event that opened our eyes up to a danger that had existed for a long time although it had not been considered possible or desirable to measure its gravity: » more
The newspaper invited 13 public figures to give their opinion on September 11th, among whom Nicole Bacharan, United States specialist. According to her, "the 11th of September is an historical event in the sense that it has changed the course of History. It is the date that marks the entry into the 21st century, just as the Sarajevo assault [The assassination of Archduke François-Ferdinand, June 28th, 1914] had marked the entry into the 20th century. It is above all the event that opened our eyes up to a danger that had existed for a long time although it had not been considered possible or desirable to measure its gravity: the Islamist terror, religious fanaticism, a new type of war. Other things have not changed. American society in particular, even if there is evident drifting on the side of the Bush administration".
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Financial Times Deutschland - Germany | Thursday, 7. September 2006
The newspaper publishes an 'Appeal to the Muslims in the West' written by the philosopher and Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan in the run-up to the ... » more
The newspaper publishes an 'Appeal to the Muslims in the West' written by the philosopher and Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan in the run-up to the 5th anniversary of September 11. "The Muslims must rapidly develop a critical discourse that rejects the victim pose and criticises radical verbal or cultural interpretations of the Holy Writings. In the name of the guiding principles of Islam they must take a stand to stop their religion being distorted to justify terrorism, domestic violence or forced marriages. ... It is regrettable that politicians are increasingly exploiting fears to mobilise voters. Muslim citizens should respond to these attempts by doing exactly the opposite of what would be their instincts tell them. Instead of withdrawing from public debate, they have to leave their religious, social, cultural and political ghettoes."
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All available articles from » Tariq Ramadan
taz - Germany | Thursday, 31. August 2006
The journalist Yassin Musharbash has analysed the change in the al-Qaida terror network and Jihadism since the attacks of September 11, 2001. "The new Jihadists are younger, better educated and more up-to-date than Osama's generation, but they are also more unpredictable. They have no experience in combat but they do have other technical skills. They think in networks because they are at home in the Internet. And they are already in the process of influencing a new kind of al- Qaida - not only with actions but with online debates as well. There's a possibility that al-Qaida will soon emulate the anti-globalisation movement, that has no centre but is nonetheless a political factor to be taken seriously and can organise large-scale political campaigns. A kind of Wiki-Qaida is also conceivable: » more
The journalist Yassin Musharbash has analysed the change in the al-Qaida terror network and Jihadism since the attacks of September 11, 2001. "The new Jihadists are younger, better educated and more up-to-date than Osama's generation, but they are also more unpredictable. They have no experience in combat but they do have other technical skills. They think in networks because they are at home in the Internet. And they are already in the process of influencing a new kind of al- Qaida - not only with actions but with online debates as well. There's a possibility that al-Qaida will soon emulate the anti-globalisation movement, that has no centre but is nonetheless a political factor to be taken seriously and can organise large-scale political campaigns. A kind of Wiki-Qaida is also conceivable: an Internet-based Jihad project that anybody is allowed to write for, collaborate in and shape, and that simultaneously carries out terrible attacks in the real world... Only one thing is certain right now: the old al-Qaida no longer exists since September 12, 2001. And there is no precedent for the new al-Qaida. It is in the process of inventing itself - and what we are seeing is only its heralds."
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La Repubblica - Italy | Thursday, 17. August 2006
The Franco-Bulgarian philosopher Tzvetan Todorov believes the Old World would be better placed to fight terrorism than the United States. "Although America is stronger than ... » more
The Franco-Bulgarian philosopher Tzvetan Todorov believes the Old World would be better placed to fight terrorism than the United States. "Although America is stronger than the European Union in terms of conventional weapons, the EU's ability to combat terrorism is greater than that of the US. Europe's history gives it a political maturity that has spared it the Manichean view of the world according to Bush. A view that instead of destroying the enemy has strengthened it. For geographical reasons, Europe has better knowledge of Arabic and Muslim countries whose people are also more familiar to it. And in its defence of the values its holds dear it can and must prevail. It could even draw therefrom the fresh motivation it sorely needs to bolster its own unity."
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El País - Spain | Wednesday, 28. June 2006
The Swiss MP, Dick Marty, presented his report on the CIA's secret flights in Europe to the Council of Europe on Tuesday, June 27. Questioned ... » more
The Swiss MP, Dick Marty, presented his report on the CIA's secret flights in Europe to the Council of Europe on Tuesday, June 27. Questioned by journalist Ana Carbajosa, he asserted that European countries must not adopt American tactics in the fight against terrorism. "I do not understand why the United States does not want to stick to legal roads. Europe is also dealing with terrorism. Spain, France, Germany have achieved excellent results in the anti-terror fight, while respecting legal norms. Justice can be firm and effective - why should people have to disappear? Why adopt gangster tactics that end up playing straight into the hands of the terrorists? Terrorists want to destroy our value system and in adopting these methiods we are bringing about our own downfall."
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Süddeutsche Zeitung - Germany | Tuesday, 27. June 2006
Political scientist Herfried Münkler makes a brief analysis of the phenomenon of modern terrorism and has some laconic advice for those living in countries under threat. "The less they let themselves be terrorised and intimidated, the more apparent the weaknesses of the terrorist groups become. The strength of these groups derives from their access to people's minds. Hysteria and panic only increase this access. The most effective weapon against terrorist attacks is for people to react calmly: » more
Political scientist Herfried Münkler makes a brief analysis of the phenomenon of modern terrorism and has some laconic advice for those living in countries under threat. "The less they let themselves be terrorised and intimidated, the more apparent the weaknesses of the terrorist groups become. The strength of these groups derives from their access to people's minds. Hysteria and panic only increase this access. The most effective weapon against terrorist attacks is for people to react calmly: if in the days after an attack people behave just as they would have if there had been no attack, the attack has failed."
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Die Zeit - Germany | Thursday, 29. December 2005
"The CIA has the right to break any law apart from American law – as all secret services do, points out Michael Scheuer who, as ... » more
"The CIA has the right to break any law apart from American law – as all secret services do, points out Michael Scheuer who, as chief of anti-terrorist operations under President Clinton, developed the system for kidnapping terrorist suspects. In an interview led by Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff, Scheuer explains that European criticism of this practice is "hypocritical" because most states had cooperated with the CIA. "My job was to protect American citizens by taking al-Qaeda people off the streets. The executive of our government must decide whether it regards this as hypocritical or not. This operation was immensely successful 90 percent of the time and a disaster only 10 percent of the time. Now everything's been made public. The Europeans will be much less cooperative because they fear that everything they do will be published in the 'Washington Post."
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24 heures - Switzerland | Tuesday, 19. December 2006
"Democracy is the best of political systems, on condition, however, that each of its participants plays, in a clean and thorough manner, the part that ... » more
"Democracy is the best of political systems, on condition, however, that each of its participants plays, in a clean and thorough manner, the part that they have been allocated", considers the Swiss chronicler Claude Monnier, who analyses the way US administration decided to invade Iraq in 2003. "The government should inform itself, reflect, anticipate and above all make decisions in an honest, upright manner, in the general interest of the country. The people, that is to say you and I, should inform itself, ask questions, question the answers if they appear insufficiently backed-up and finally form an independent and well-constructed opinion, not an emotional reaction therefore, and defend it with courage. That makes quite a few conditions. But it should be understood that if these conditions are not fulfilled, democracy mechanically leads to the authoritarianism or dictatorship for which it would like to be an antidote."
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The Debate
Süddeutsche Zeitung - Germany | Monday, 9. July 2007
German Minister of the Interior Wolfgang Schäuble is no longer a cautious opponent of terrorism; he has become obsessed with it, writes Heribert Prantl commenting ... » more
German Minister of the Interior Wolfgang Schäuble is no longer a cautious opponent of terrorism; he has become obsessed with it, writes Heribert Prantl commenting on Schäuble's latest proposals for combating terrorism. Schäuble plans among other things to ban 'those who threaten' the constitutional state from using cell phones or the Internet and to introduce changes in Germany's constitution which would make the killing of targeted terrorists legal. "Wolfgang Schäuble is making us afraid. The minister talks as if Germany could only be saved by turning itself into a 007 state - by mutating from a constitutional state into a regime of legal illegality. He talks of prudence but practices the opposite; he warns of hysteria yet propagates it himself; he disapproves of Guantanamo but talks as if it were vital to prepare the way for the Guantanamisation of Germany's judicial system."
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The Daily Telegraph - United Kingdom | Monday, 9. July 2007
"In an unforgivable act of neglect that is now exacting such a terrible price, this government has lost control of the nation's ports of entry", ... » more
"In an unforgivable act of neglect that is now exacting such a terrible price, this government has lost control of the nation's ports of entry", writes the daily in an editorial consecrated to describing how easy it is for terrorists to enter the country. "Allegations that the failed London and Glasgow car bomb attacks were the work of such people [immigrant doctors] suggest that vetting is pretty perfunctory. If that particular route is made more difficult for those who would do us harm, they will have plenty of other options. For example, it emerged yesterday that thousands of student visas are issued each year to foreign applicants who then fail to take up their university or college places. Yet the visas allow them to stay in this country quite legitimately for three years. Given that nearly 400 of these missing students hail from Pakistan, the country with which most terrorist plots inevitably have some connection, this is disturbing."
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Financial Times - United Kingdom | Friday, 6. July 2007
Philip Stephens, a columnist for the daily, analyses the strategy behind the Gordon Brown government's change to the vocabulary used by Tony Blair. "Britain's new ... » more
Philip Stephens, a columnist for the daily, analyses the strategy behind the Gordon Brown government's change to the vocabulary used by Tony Blair. "Britain's new prime minister is eschewing talk of 'a war on terror'. The attempted bombings in London and Glasgow have also seen Gordon Brown's government avoid references to 'Islamist terrorists'. Instead, ministers have denounced the attacks as acts of criminality. ... the 'war on terror' catchline has seemed to validate the jihadi claim of a clash of civilisations between Islam and the west. That in turn assists al-Qaeda and its affiliates in drawing the myriad conflicts in the Middle East into a single narrative of western oppression. ... Above all the west needs to differentiate between al-Qaeda's brand of irreconcilable extremism and the many other grievances, conflicts and stand-offs that fuel violence in the Muslim worlds."
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Népszabadság - Hungary | Thursday, 5. July 2007
Why are doctors, of all people, the suspects in the foiled attacks on London and Glasgow? asks Endre Aczél. "The al-Qaida terrorist network is a ... » more
Why are doctors, of all people, the suspects in the foiled attacks on London and Glasgow? asks Endre Aczél. "The al-Qaida terrorist network is a group of fanatic criminals who know perfectly well that Europeans tend to trust doctors more than they trust politicians... A great amount of trust was invested in the foreign doctors who are now suspected of masterminding the botched attacks in London and Glasgow. They were beyond all suspicion. The British police had thousands of potential Islamists under surveillance, but not these doctors. Now there is all the more reason for Europe to import the American principle that 'everyone is a suspect', despite its unpleasant consequences."
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Hospodářské noviny - Czech Republic | Tuesday, 3. July 2007
According to reports on American television, last weekend there was also the danger of a terrorist attack on the airport in Prague. Adam Černý expresses the view that the European Union is in the midst of a new "world war" and calls for more resoluteness in the battle against terrorism: » more
According to reports on American television, last weekend there was also the danger of a terrorist attack on the airport in Prague. Adam Černý expresses the view that the European Union is in the midst of a new "world war" and calls for more resoluteness in the battle against terrorism: "There is no simple approach to dealing with these new threats. Perhaps travellers at airports now realise that the security measures are not exaggerated. But do the European states see how vital it is that they work together, for instance by signing a new treaty facilitating the extradition of suspects or captured criminals? The dispute about the European arrest warrant has been going on forever now. Europeans currently enjoy the freedom to travel wherever they want but they're not in a position to jointly protect this freedom."
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Le Monde - France | Saturday, 21. April 2007
The daily is alarmed by the French government's preparation of a decree for the application of the 'bill on confidentiality in digital economy'. This would ... » more
The daily is alarmed by the French government's preparation of a decree for the application of the 'bill on confidentiality in digital economy'. This would oblige servers to keep the personal data of Internet users (passwords, pseudonyms, bank card numbers and contributions to forums or blogs) for a year in order for intelligence services to be able to consult them. "In terms of confidentiality, this is about a threat to freedom. ... The struggle against terrorism and crime in general - an imperative of course - does not justify turning French society into a surveillance society. Public freedoms are of a piece. The same rules apply to digital freedom, however new and confusing it may be. It prohibits the transformation of website editors into 'informers' and those who frequent them into Orwellian subjects."
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El Periódico de Catalunya - Spain | Thursday, 12. April 2007
"The bombings perpetrated on Tuesday in Casablanca and yesterday [April 11th] in Algeria show that the Al-Qaeda organisation is very active in North Africa", considers ... » more
"The bombings perpetrated on Tuesday in Casablanca and yesterday [April 11th] in Algeria show that the Al-Qaeda organisation is very active in North Africa", considers the daily. "This escalation of terrorism is particularly worrying for Spain. This is not only because of geographic proximity, but above all because of the fact that the Salafist groups operating in these countries have ramifications here. The link between the 2004 bombings in Madrid and the 2003 Casablanca bombings is no mere coincidence. There are many North Africans sitting as suspects in the docks of the trial of the March 11th terrorist attacks and it is in this same nebulous assortment of radical groups that we should seek networks operating in Spanish towns, recruiting youths who are ready to go and immolate themselves in Iraq. ... Police cooperation between Spain and its southern neighbours is fundamental, as are policies that help development in societies that are lagging behind and where youths are stimulated by Islamist fundamentalism."
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De Volkskrant - Netherlands | Wednesday, 31. January 2007
The Dutch daily analyses the conclusions of the 'Jihadi Terrorists in Europe' report published by the Clingendael Institute. "The report leads us to understand that ... » more
The Dutch daily analyses the conclusions of the 'Jihadi Terrorists in Europe' report published by the Clingendael Institute. "The report leads us to understand that the big terrorist threat in Europe no longer comes from Al-Qaeda, but from European Muslim boys who appear perfectly normal having grown up in West-Amsterdam, Leeds or a Parisian suburb. Many of these terrorists are more amateurs than professional combatants, but they can cause a lot of suffering, as we saw with Theo Van Gough and the London bombings. ... Contrary to the Spanish, or the British, the Dutch are used to living in a society where conflicts are dealt with in a peaceful, non-armed manner. They fear that the tensions between communities and political violence may put an end to the cherished image of the Netherlands as a calm oasis of peace."
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Svenska Dagbladet - Sweden | Thursday, 25. January 2007
The conservative Swedish defence minister, Mikael Odenberg, has presented a revised draft of a new bugging law that would allow the FRA – the ministry ... » more
The conservative Swedish defence minister, Mikael Odenberg, has presented a revised draft of a new bugging law that would allow the FRA – the ministry of defence's monitoring unit – to monitor telephone conversations and emails in its campaign against terrorism and organised crime. Maria Abrahamsson sees the proposal as a threat. "Odenberg's proposal takes as little account of protection of privacy as the EU resolution on recording telephone data. The resolution is due to enter force this year in Sweden. This means that recordings of all telephone calls, text messages, emails and log-ins will be kept for at least one year in case the police require access to the information in an investigation. The law does not foresee any exceptions for editorial departments. Yet we haven't heard any protests from the journalist's association so far. It's worrying that this professional group has failed to understand the implications of FRA monitoring and the obligatory recording of telephone data."
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Svenska Dagbladet - Sweden | Monday, 11. December 2006
Protection of privacy is not highly ranked in Sweden. That is the result of a new study in which the British human rights organization Privacy ... » more
Protection of privacy is not highly ranked in Sweden. That is the result of a new study in which the British human rights organization Privacy International compares 37 countries. "Naturally there is are good reasons for more surveillance. The fight against terrorism is one of them", comments the political editor Anders Linder. ... But it is not OK for citizens to be subjected to the increasing scrutiny of the authorities without a critical debate on the issue... The right to privacy is a human right, and a society that does not respect it runs the risk of injuring other human rights. Germany comes out on top in the study. Obviously this has to do with the country's experience of a totalitarian system in the 20th century. Sweden does not have this experience."
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The Daily Telegraph - United Kingdom | Thursday, 2. November 2006
"We are the most spied-upon society in Europe, with more CCTV cameras than the rest of the EU combined", laments the daily. "New Labour has ... » more
"We are the most spied-upon society in Europe, with more CCTV cameras than the rest of the EU combined", laments the daily. "New Labour has used the shock of the 9/11 attacks to launch the most sustained assault on personal freedom ever seen in this country outside wartime. It is not just the ubiquity of CCTV cameras or speed cameras - they are simply the visible manifestation of Tony Blair's obsession with control. It is the plans for ID cards and biometric recognition, the national DNA database (which even its own inventor believes is out of control), the computerisation of medical records, the national children's database, ever more intrusive questions proposed for the next Census. Taken together they are stripping us bare of any real sense of privacy. ... There are profound philosophical questions about the relationship of the state to the individual at stake here."
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The Daily Telegraph - United Kingdom | Friday, 22. September 2006
Following meeting of EU Justice and interior ministers on Thursday, September 21st in Finland, the daily opposes the European Commission's and the Finnish presidency of the ... » more
Following meeting of EU Justice and interior ministers on Thursday, September 21st in Finland, the daily opposes the European Commission's and the Finnish presidency of the European Union's approach to combating terrorism and international crime. "They are asking justice and interior ministers, meeting in Tampere, to consider dropping their right of veto over such matters as cross-border police action and establishing a standardised intelligence system; competence would be shifted from national governments to the EU. ... In the wake of terrorism plots recently uncovered in Britain, Germany and Denmark, this is a superficially plausible attempt to extend the boundaries of EU competence in justice and home affairs. ... Successfully countering terrorism and cross-border crime of course requires co-operation between member states but this is best done inter-governmentally, with control retained by national legislatures and courts".
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Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung - Germany | Tuesday, 5. September 2006
After years of argument, the German interior minister, Brigitte Zypries, and his counterparts in the German states have reached agreement on a common database designed to ... » more
After years of argument, the German interior minister, Brigitte Zypries, and his counterparts in the German states have reached agreement on a common database designed to provide more efficient link-ups between the individual authorities responsible for security. Peter Carstens comments with disappointment. "The interior ministers have been arguing for years about every area of files on terrorism... What is more, work on important subsidiary areas in the battle against terrorism lacks proper goal-setting and planning - such as the rights of foreigners, the regulations on acquiring citizenship, the way of dealing with Muslim residents in Germany. Even if after all these years the interior ministers agree to compromise on data collection, video surveillance, the law on air and maritime safety or pinpointing suspects by computer analysis, it doesn't mean that the Constitutional Court won't have anything to add. If you want to achieve anything in Germany, you have fight your way through institutions, parties and lobbies. This also applies to the war on terror, which is additionally a war of jostling for position within the bureaucracy. Politics has long since failed to direct this argument and define its borders".
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taz - Germany | Monday, 21. August 2006
The arrest of a suspected terrorist in connection with a failed attempt to blow up regional trains has triggered renewed debate on the subject of ... » more
The arrest of a suspected terrorist in connection with a failed attempt to blow up regional trains has triggered renewed debate on the subject of internal security in Germany. Stefan Reinecke comments. "No one knows how exploded trains would have changed the mood here in Germany. That in itself is reason enough to praise the police. Now even leftist liberals will have to ask themselves whether video surveillance in public places is such a bad thing. But we shouldn't rush to conclusions, because much remain unclear, and there are also blatant attempts to create panic... The Interior Minstry's Pavlovian response has been to bring out all the tighter laws it had in planning. Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble wants more powers for the Federal Intelligence Service and more exchange of information with the police. More, more, more. It's the typical response, and we should be sceptical about it despite this recent success."
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Der Standard - Austria | Monday, 14. August 2006
Thomas Mayer says he can't believe how uncoordinated the EU's reaction has been to the revelations about the planned attacks in London. "It's hard to ... » more
Thomas Mayer says he can't believe how uncoordinated the EU's reaction has been to the revelations about the planned attacks in London. "It's hard to believe that five years after the New York attacks there is apparently still no basic infrastructure for integrated, legally controlled pan-European police activities. What should be a priority for the EU if not those issues that are of most concern for EU citizens? But even more irritating is the fact that the intelligence and security services are being allowed to put people under surveillance as they see fit and according to each country's laws – and also in the legal grey zone. There is virtually no parliamentary control at a European level."
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The Independent - United Kingdom | Monday, 14. August 2006
"So these jihad-jumping nutcases don't threaten our values. They threaten our lives perhaps, but not our values," writes columnist Simon Carr of the suspected terrorists ... » more
"So these jihad-jumping nutcases don't threaten our values. They threaten our lives perhaps, but not our values," writes columnist Simon Carr of the suspected terrorists thought to be behind the alleged plot to blow up trans-Atlantic flights that was foiled last week. Simon Carr denounces the British government's methods and dramatic tones. "No, the people who threaten our values are our leaders who have been panicking and harrying us towards un-British ideas like locking people up for three months without charge, and invading other countries to change their value systems. Another of our most fundamental values is stoicism. If more atrocities are inevitable (...) we should be stocking up on quiet courage. Can't we have a bit more of that? A bit more sang froid?
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Berlingske - Denmark | Thursday, 3. August 2006
Denmark is discussing the introduction of a DNA register. Advocates of the idea say such a databank would make it easier to identify the victims ... » more
Denmark is discussing the introduction of a DNA register. Advocates of the idea say such a databank would make it easier to identify the victims of disasters and solve crimes. Opponents voice fears of Denmark turning into a police state. The newspaper claims such fears are exaggerated. "In modern society, full of risks, citizens are more concerned about protecting themselves against real and potential threats. This is evident in their increasing tolerance of video surveillance… But the real danger of an all-encompassing DNA register lies in the fact that it paves the way for a genetic view of things. In the future, companies could start demanding DNA profiles before they employ someone or conclude a health insurance policy. That really would be a bad scenario."
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Rzeczpospolita - Poland | Saturday, 29. July 2006
Jedrzej Bielecki notes with dismay that whether somebody is branded a terrorist and described as good or evil differs from country to country and is a matter of perspective. Bielecki points out that Chechen groups feature prominently on Russia's list of terrorists, while Hamas and Hizbullah don't even appear. For China, on the other hand, the Tibetan freedom fighters are the main terrorists. "Following the September 11 attacks, it seemed that the top priority of the great powers was keeping terrorists from getting their hands on weapons of mass destruction and causing even greater catastrophes. Now, even in such issues entailing major threats, specific political interests appear to have gained the upper hand." Bielecki goes on to warn that "drawing up a list of illegal organisations is not an end in itself: » more
Jedrzej Bielecki notes with dismay that whether somebody is branded a terrorist and described as good or evil differs from country to country and is a matter of perspective. Bielecki points out that Chechen groups feature prominently on Russia's list of terrorists, while Hamas and Hizbullah don't even appear. For China, on the other hand, the Tibetan freedom fighters are the main terrorists. "Following the September 11 attacks, it seemed that the top priority of the great powers was keeping terrorists from getting their hands on weapons of mass destruction and causing even greater catastrophes. Now, even in such issues entailing major threats, specific political interests appear to have gained the upper hand." Bielecki goes on to warn that "drawing up a list of illegal organisations is not an end in itself: the effectiveness of the war on terrorism depends on it… For this reason it's imperative to draw up a joint international list of terrorist groups and thereby create a definition of terrorism that is valid for all."
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The Guardian - United Kingdom | Friday, 21. July 2006
The daily is skeptical about a newly unveiled criminal justice review by Home Minister John Reid that calls for building more jails and handing down ... » more
The daily is skeptical about a newly unveiled criminal justice review by Home Minister John Reid that calls for building more jails and handing down tougher sentences for serious crimes. "Dostoevsky reflected that 'the degree of civilisation in a society can be judged by entering its prisons'. This is a point that matters to victims as well as criminals. Conditions should encourage inmates to mend their ways, not make them worse. Yet yesterday's review was entirely silent on how sentences are spent. Ignoring the quality when the quantity is at a record high is a staggering omission. While prisoners languish instead of learn and are routinely bullied, jails will continue to churn out people who, more often than not, are reconvicted in two years. ... The overhaul the system really needs is to cut the use of prisons, and increase the quality and effectiveness of those that remain."
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The Guardian - United Kingdom | Tuesday, 6. June 2006
The daily comments on last Friday's [June 2] anti-terror raid on a house in East London. The operation, in which a young Muslim suspect was shot in the shoulder, has failed to turn up evidence of a suspected chemical weapon. "The danger is that the Muslim community, still reeling from Iraq, could be further alienated if tactics deployed are felt to be arbitrary or disproportionate. This would pose security risks: » more
The daily comments on last Friday's [June 2] anti-terror raid on a house in East London. The operation, in which a young Muslim suspect was shot in the shoulder, has failed to turn up evidence of a suspected chemical weapon. "The danger is that the Muslim community, still reeling from Iraq, could be further alienated if tactics deployed are felt to be arbitrary or disproportionate. This would pose security risks: intelligence must come from within that community and will be harder to come by if suspicion of the authorities grows. ... Information about terror is inherently hard to come by and, reacting appropriately to outrages designed to subvert society is hardly going to be easy. This complexity - as well as the need to win trust - makes it all the more urgent to ensure that the inevitably difficult decisions on terror are informed by the most thorough and open understanding possible."
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El País - Spain | Thursday, 1. June 2006
Giovanni Fava, the chairman of the European parliamentary commission investigating CIA activities in Europe, stresses the importance of re-establishing ethical principles in the anti-terror fight, ... » more
Giovanni Fava, the chairman of the European parliamentary commission investigating CIA activities in Europe, stresses the importance of re-establishing ethical principles in the anti-terror fight, in an interview with Ana Carabajosa. "Europe's sense of responsibility in the wake of September 11 explains why the political response was so feeble. ... In Washington, the State Department told us that the country felt as if it were at war, that a dirty war was being fought in which the enemies are not nations, and in which, as a result, the Geneva Conventions did not apply and the concept of torture had to be modified. But this is not a real war. It a battle against terrorism being waged by our intelligence services. We cannot lower the level of legal and ethical guarantees."
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The Guardian - United Kingdom | Friday, 12. May 2006
Two reports by the government on the July 7, 2005 suicide bomb attacks in London, issued Thursday, May 11, leave important questions about intelligence failures ... » more
Two reports by the government on the July 7, 2005 suicide bomb attacks in London, issued Thursday, May 11, leave important questions about intelligence failures unresolved, writes the progressive daily. "Both reports are conscientious and significant. Yet there is no point to the reports if all they do is send a shiver down the spine as we read and remember last year's dreadful deeds. The purpose of such reports is to draw lessons and point to ways of improving the public's safety. ... No one should imagine that intelligence can prevent every terrorist act. That is unrealistic. But intelligence should be held accountable for its failures nevertheless. How else can a society learn from mistakes? ... There is much less of a case here for a public inquiry than there is for an independent, no-holds-barred, effective and ongoing review of the governmental and departmental efforts."
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Der Standard - Austria | Thursday, 16. February 2006
Germany's constitutional court has ruled that the Air Security Act, which authorises the Bundeswehr (the German armed forces) to shoot down a passenger plane if it's being used as a weapon by terrorists, is unconstitutional. Birgit Baumann approves: » more
Germany's constitutional court has ruled that the Air Security Act, which authorises the Bundeswehr (the German armed forces) to shoot down a passenger plane if it's being used as a weapon by terrorists, is unconstitutional. Birgit Baumann approves: "It's good that the constitutional court has put a stop to this and set things straight: all human lives are of equal value. The State can't let one life be destroyed to protect another. It should not be allowed to judge over life and death." She goes on to say that the highest judges have also made clear what they think about the deployment of troops on the home front, as planned by German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble for the World Cup. "To be precise, nothing at all, because it's unconstitutional. Only in the case of major disasters are soldiers allowed to be deployed within the country – and even if Germany, the host country, is eliminated at an early stage, you still can't classify the World Cup as a major disaster."
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The Independent - United Kingdom | Tuesday, 14. February 2006
The daily denounces Tony Blair's plan to introduce national identity cards, after the House of Commons voted to require anyone applying for a new passport to register for the new cards, from 2008. The proposal will now face a further round of debate in the House of Lords. "Ministers have argued, as Gordon Brown [the Chancellor of the Exchequeur] did again yesterday, that ID cards will make it easier to deter identity theft, illegal immigration, unauthorised use of public services, and - of course -terrorism. Their point is that the interests of national security must, on occasion, outweigh the claims of civil liberties. Yet the effectiveness of ID cards is by no means proven ... This misguided Bill thus offers the worst of both worlds: » more
The daily denounces Tony Blair's plan to introduce national identity cards, after the House of Commons voted to require anyone applying for a new passport to register for the new cards, from 2008. The proposal will now face a further round of debate in the House of Lords. "Ministers have argued, as Gordon Brown [the Chancellor of the Exchequeur] did again yesterday, that ID cards will make it easier to deter identity theft, illegal immigration, unauthorised use of public services, and - of course -terrorism. Their point is that the interests of national security must, on occasion, outweigh the claims of civil liberties. Yet the effectiveness of ID cards is by no means proven ... This misguided Bill thus offers the worst of both worlds: it will curb freedoms we prize without even fulfilling the purpose for which it was supposedly conceived."
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The Independent - United Kingdom | Tuesday, 17. January 2006
"It is time for Tony Blair to recognise that the tide has turned decisively against his plans to establish a national identity cards scheme," the ... » more
"It is time for Tony Blair to recognise that the tide has turned decisively against his plans to establish a national identity cards scheme," the progressive daily writes after the House of Lords called on the government to clarify the costs of the scheme to register and store citizens' biometric data. "Since [the London attacks of] July 7, the cards have been presented, once again, as an anti-terror measure. But this justification is as misleading as it ever was. There is no reason to believe the July 7 attackers would have been thwarted by the existence of ID cards. The bombers were home-grown extremists, not foreign jihadists. What evidence is there that they would have been picked up earlier by the security services if they had held some form of personal identification? (...) And let us not forget the Government's lamentable record when it comes to high-technology projects."
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Le Jeudi - Luxembourg | Tuesday, 17. January 2006
"Without succombing to excessive Orwellian-style paranoia, the growing number of ways for identifying individuals raises legitimate concerns and questions," observes Jacques Hillion, an editorial writer with the weekly. "Under cover of technological progress and the need for security, the pressure on individuals is rising steadily. (...) A person's intrinsic and personal characterists are these days increasingly necessary to open doors and borders. A case in point: » more
"Without succombing to excessive Orwellian-style paranoia, the growing number of ways for identifying individuals raises legitimate concerns and questions," observes Jacques Hillion, an editorial writer with the weekly. "Under cover of technological progress and the need for security, the pressure on individuals is rising steadily. (...) A person's intrinsic and personal characterists are these days increasingly necessary to open doors and borders. A case in point: Europe is eliminating the mention of one's religion on Greek identity cards, but is accepting the biometric passports demanded by the United States. Religion is thus part of the private sphere while fingerprints belong to the public domain, even though both define an individual. And even if one identifier lasts forever, while the other can change in the course of a lifetime."
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New Statesman - United Kingdom | Wednesday, 11. January 2006
Author and journalist John Pilger asserts that "freedom is dying" in Britain as the government uses the anti-terror fight as a pretext for stifling dissent ... » more
Author and journalist John Pilger asserts that "freedom is dying" in Britain as the government uses the anti-terror fight as a pretext for stifling dissent - with the tacit complicity of the BBC and other mainstream media. "Between 11 September 2001 and 30 September 2005, 895 people in total were arrested under the Terrorism Act. Only 23 have been convicted of offences covered by the act. As for real terrorists, the identities of two of the 7 July bombers, including the suspected mastermind, were known to MI5 [the domestic intelligence agency], yet nothing was done. And Blair wants to give the security services more power. Having helped to devastate Iraq, he is now killing freedom in his own country. (...) Looking in the mirror means understanding that a violent and undemocratic order is being imposed by those whose actions are little different from the actions of fascists."
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Libération - France | Friday, 23. December 2005
Patrick Baudouin, a lawyer and honourary president of the International Federation for Human Rights (IFHR), expresses alarm over the growing number of special anti-terrorist laws ... » more
Patrick Baudouin, a lawyer and honourary president of the International Federation for Human Rights (IFHR), expresses alarm over the growing number of special anti-terrorist laws such as the one France has just adopted. "Those who really risk becoming the main victims of the overblown security measures linked to anti-terrorism are not the terrorists, but citizens and democracies. (...) The time is ripe for us to mobilise in order to break the infernal spiral that leads us, with each dramatic terrorist act, driven by strong emotions and even panic, to irrationally and demogogically adopt measures that are as counter-productive as they are illegitimate and which run counter to international human rights law. (...) We must not forget that State terror claims more victims in the world every day than terrorism."
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Der Spiegel - Germany | Tuesday, 20. December 2005
Since Germany's Minister for the Interior, Wolfgang Schäuble, voiced his opinion that German investigators should be allowed to use information obtained from terrorist suspects using ... » more
Since Germany's Minister for the Interior, Wolfgang Schäuble, voiced his opinion that German investigators should be allowed to use information obtained from terrorist suspects using torture, the work of the secret services is being debated in Germany. Questions include whether German investigators should be allowed to interrogate prisoners in Guantanamo. Tom Koenigs, Commissioner for Human Rights for the German government, comments. "I don't think we should discontinue our work with the secret services of other countries at a time when we are confronted with the great challenges of international terrorism. At the same time, it is the task of Germany's politicians to demand that others – including our allies – respect the standards established under international law.
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