January 25, 2002	Friday	Ziqa’ad 10, 1422

STRASBOURG, Jan 24: Council of Europe parliamentarians called on Thursday for nations to scrupulously respect human rights while fighting terrorism, and criticized measures taken by the United States and Britain.

Parliamentarians from the 43-nation Council, often seen as Europe’s human rights watchdog, denounced a US presidential decree issued on Nov 14 and allowing for military courts to be set up which would have the power to issue the death penalty.

The courts are being established to try alleged members of the Al Qaeda network.

The assembly called on the Council’s 43 member states to refuse to extradite anyone without assurances the death penalty would not be given or if they “risk being subjected to ill-treatment... or being subjected to a trial which does not respect the fundamental principles of a fair trial”.— AFP