UNITED NATIONS: The heads of three leading inter- governmental human rights bodies have cautioned governments against imposing excessive new curbs on basic freedoms in their rush to battle terrorism.

The warning, in a statement released in Thursday, is unprecedented and is an implicit challenge to the backlash against civil liberties under way in the US, said a senior UN official.

Since the Sept 11 terrorist attacks on New York and the Pentagon, US authorities have detained for questioning more than 1,000 people, mostly Muslims and people of Middle Eastern origin. Several civil and human rights organizations have said these detentions are the result of “racial profiling” and have violated constitutional procedures and protections.

The UStates also has been criticized for its plans to subject foreigners suspected of conducting or aiding terrorism to trial by military tribunal without the due process and evidentiary rules found in civilian courts.

Additionally, US law enforcement officials are being armed with new powers to conduct wiretaps, intercept e-mail, and monitor phone conversations of suspected or potential al terrorists.

Under the new laws, police and immigration authorities will be given the power to compel testimony during investigations and nullify the right to remain silent to avoid self-incrimination.

Some rights, they argued, may not be diluted under any circumstances. These include the right to life; freedom of thought; conscience and religion; freedom from torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment; and the principles of precision and non-retroactivity of criminal law except where a later law imposes a lighter penalty.

For other rights, they said, any derogation is only permitted under special circumstances defined in international human rights law.

Taking up the theme, Malaysian Ambassador Hasmy Agam decried the “frequency of racist acts perpetrated against Muslims” since the Sept 11 attacks and urged Robinson “to use the moral weight of her office to help prevent anti-Islam sentiments from gaining common currency, and to facilitate continued dialogue on the importance of tolerance and respect for diversity, which is needed now more than ever.”

The foreign ministers of Egypt and Syria struck notes, particularly with respect to racial profiling, in which individuals are targeted for investigation on the basis of racial characteristics; in this case, suspicion of terrorism based on Muslim or Middle Eastern traits. —Dawn/InterPress Service.