Report Warns of Rights Abuse Risk

WASHINGTON —  The risk of human rights abuses worldwide has increased markedly since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, according to an Amnesty International report released Wednesday.

Hate crimes and civil rights violations--particularly against Muslims and people of Middle Eastern background--have been reported from Australia to Poland to India, as well as in the United States, the study found.

In addition, governments around the globe are considering proposed new anti-terrorist and immigration measures that could infringe on basic civil liberties, the report says.

It notes that the human rights issue is particularly pressing in China, where there is fear that authorities may intensify their “harsh suppression of Muslim ethnic groups accused of being . . . ‘religious extremists.’ ”

Echoing concerns raised by civil libertarians, the report raises questions about the potential for abuse in the United States in light of proposed changes in immigration laws and anti-terrorism legislation being considered in Congress.

Amnesty International’s study, based largely on anecdotal information, offered no overall figures on hate crimes worldwide since Sept. 11, but it listed violations in more than a dozen countries.

Since the attacks, which occurred just days after the United Nations’ World Conference Against Racism, the FBI has opened about 90 civil rights investigations of hate crimes against Arab Americans and Muslims.

Similar incidents were reported overseas, the report says, including:

* Australia. A school bus carrying Muslim children was pelted with debris; a mosque was burned to the ground and others were firebombed.

* Hungary. The Interior Ministry ordered 800 Afghan refugees and asylum seekers held in detention centers, isolated from other detainees.

* Ireland. A Muslim man was beaten at an Islamic center in Dublin, and a Muslim school was closed after a bomb scare.

The report also cites measures under consideration in several European countries that define terrorism in the broadest of terms and propose detaining terrorist suspects indefinitely or deporting them.

Anti-terrorism measures are being considered in the U.S. Congress, although a provision of the legislation that would have allowed indefinite detention of foreign nationals was scaled back to a maximum of seven days.

Roberta Cohen, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, said the fear of terrorism is reminiscent of the anti-Communist hysteria of the McCarthy era. While responding to the tragedy and seeking to preserve national security, the government must be mindful of protecting civil liberties, she said.

“We can’t just fold up the rights and civil liberties that we stand for in response to a threat,” said Cohen, who specializes in foreign policy and human rights. She noted, “It’s healthy that groups are out there raising the civil liberties banner.”