NEWSLINKS US EDITION SOUTH ASIA COLUMNISTS DIARY SPECIALS INTERVIEWS CAPITAL BUZZ REDIFF POLL DEAR REDIFF THE STATES ELECTIONS ARCHIVES SEARCH REDIFF
Addressing the United Nations subcommission on the promotion and protection of human rights in Geneva, Switzerland, Sorabjee said that whatever the definition one adopts, whatever its ideological motivation, indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians cannot be justified under the "spurious label" of a freedom struggle or invocation of the slogan of self-determination.
"The bottom line is that the end does not justify the means," Sorabjee said, referring to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's statement in this connection.
The attorney general said this rule applied also to governments pursuing their legitimate aim of combating terrorism. The core principles of the rule of law and guarantees of due process cannot be jettisoned.
"Trial of suspected terrorists by military tribunals in camera and whose verdict is not amenable to judicial review causes grave concern," he said. Reports have suggested that the Al Qaeda members now being held by the United States at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, are likely to be tried by such military courts.
PTI
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