WAR ON TERROR POLICIES GIVING LICENSE TO ABUSIVE GOVERNMENTS

Former President Jimmy Carter reports on the findings of a November 2003 Carter meeting of leaders of human rights and democracy movements from 41 nations, sponsored by the United Nations and the Carter Center:

U.S. policies are giving license to abusive governments and even established democracies to stamp out legitimate dissent and reverse decades of progress toward freedom, with many leaders retreating from previous human rights commitments...Equally disturbing are reports that in some countries the U.S. government has pushed regressive counterterrorism laws, based on the USA Patriot Act, that undermine democratic principles and the rule of law...The United States must regain its status as the champion of freedom and human rights.