CAIRO, May 31, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) – An international human rights watchdog said on Tuesday, May 31, that the European Union’s awkward anti-terror policies have led to breaches of human rights.

“In surveying the multitude of counter-terrorist initiatives at EU level in the criminal law sphere since 11 September 2001, it is clear that the lack of concrete safeguards is not only leading to breaches of human rights, but has created legal confusion and uncertainty,” Amnesty International said in a new report posted on its Web site.

The London-based group accused European countries of undermining justice through abuse of human rights, warning that this jeopardizes effective cooperation to counter terrorism and puts Europe’s security at risk.

“The European Union has always been clear in asserting that there can be no security without human rights. However, in practice the EU and its Member States are too often prepared to remain silent on breaches of rights protection within or outside the EU,” the report said.

The EU launched a drive against terrorism after the 9/11 attacks and stepped it up after the Madrid train bombings 14 months ago.

Muslim minorities have taken the brunt of the anti-terror measures, which include predawn raids and stop-and-search campaigns, for no reason other than being Muslims.

Just this month, Europe’s main rights and democracy watchdog, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), expressed concern at increasing Dutch intolerance towards Muslims and the “climate of fear” under which the minority was living.

In France, a report by an independent French committee said last month that racist acts by French police have dramatically risen in 2004, particularly against French citizens of North African origin.

Amnesty said EU measures such as blacklists for terrorists, a pan-European arrest warrant and its definition of terrorism had led to rights breaches, legal confusion and uncertainty.

It said the 25-member bloc has to do more to ensure meeting international human-rights obligations and provide legal safeguards for people suspected of taking part in terrorism.

The report also recommends that all future agreements with third countries set clear parameters for the respect of human rights that meet the standards that the EU is always preaching.

“There is a general assumption that the human rights of terrorist suspects will be protected within the EU’s own Area of Freedom, Security and Justice, while little attention is given to credible concerns that serious human rights abuses may occur when those suspects are transported to countries outside its borders,” the report said.

The American Human Rights Watch (HRW) said earlier in the month that dozens of alleged “Islamic militants” are shipped and ferried blindfolded from some European countries -- with the help of the US in some cases -- to Egypt, where they are tortured and held incommunicado.

Last week, Amnesty said that human rights were in retreat worldwide because of Washington's so-called war on terror which gave other countries an excuse to roll back the rule of law.