Protecting Human Rights in Counter-Terrorism

On November 21, the UN General Assembly adopted an important new resolution on the protection of
human rights in the fight against terrorism. Human Rights Watch has been concerned that a number of
governments have used the fight against terrorism as a pretext for committing abuses against their
opponents or imposing arbitrary and punitive measures on asylum seekers and other foreigners. The
resolution, initiated by Mexico, underscored the need for states to comply with their legal obligations
under international human rights, refugee and humanitarian law