– 2004-06-21 14:00:26

http://www.envirosagainstwar.org/edit/index.php?op=edit&itemid=1482

WASHINGTON, DC — Amnesty International today denounced armed groups and governments for unleashing weapons of terror — direct attacks, indiscriminate attacks and torture, including rape — on civilian populations worldwide in what it said was the most sustained attack on human rights in 50 years.

In releasing its 2004 global survey of human rights, the organization included its analysis of the role of armed groups, sometimes dubbed “terrorists” by the governments battling them.

A ‘Global Street Brawl’
“The ‘war on terror’ has evolved into a global street brawl with governments and armed groups duking it out and innocent civilians suffering severely,” said Dr. William F. Schulz, Executive Director of Amnesty International USA (AIUSA).

“Worldwide, armed groups commit atrocities serious enough to be characterized as war crimes or crimes against humanity. At the same time, too many governments have lent a veneer of legitimacy to the actions of armed groups by disregarding human rights, and in some cases, by committing war crimes and crimes against humanity themselves.

“Whether in the name of anti-terrorism, counter-insurgency or security, the US and other governments have suspended, circumvented or violated the law and weakened the best defense against insecurity and violence: respect for human rights.

“Locked in a deadly embrace of violence, armed groups and governments are riding roughshod over human rights.”…

The complete report is available at:
http://www.amnestyusa.org/annualreport/index.html