Doublespeak by US and UK undermines war on terrorism: Amnesty

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http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/theworld/2006/May/theworld_May822.xml§ion=theworld

LONDON - Doublespeak by nations like the United States and Britain has undermined their own war on terrorism and increased human rights violations from Colombia to North Korea, Amnesty International said on Tuesday.

Accusations that the United States -- with the complicity of some European nations -- while banning torture at home had been flying prisoners around the world for interrogation by countries with no such qualms had dented their moral authority, it said.

“Duplicity and doublespeak have become the hallmark of the war on terror,” the human rights watchdog’s secretary general Irene Khan told a news conference to publish its annual report.

“There is evidence of widespread torture in US detention centres,” she said. “The United States outsources torture to countries like Morocco, Jordan and Syria.”

She said that at least seven European countries had sanctioned or turned a blind eye to the use of their airspace for so-called extraordinary rendition flights carrying prisoners for interrogation outside the United States.

“Powerful governments are playing a dangerous game with human rights,” Khan said. “The scorecard of prolonged conflicts and mounting human rights abuses is there for all to see.”

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