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huan internationalman forum for debating humanr rightsights dFall 2002iaSeries 2logueNumber 8 $5.00 PublicPub lic Security Security and and Human Rights PPerspectives from Nigeria • Colombia • Brazil • Malaysia • United States this issue PUBLIC SECURITY AND HUMAN RIGHTS 3 At the Table developments in the Brazilian human rights scene; Andressa Caldas, Sandra Carvalho, and James Cavallaro weigh in from the activists’ perspective. 4 Introduction 20 A View from the Inside 6 The New Face of Impunity Carlos Basombrío offers a perspective on human Rachel Neild explains the phenomenon of rising rights, crime, and police reform in Peru from his new crime and the challenges it poses to human rights position as vice minister of the interior. activists worldwide. 21 Roundtable on U.S. Civil Liberties in 8 Restricting the Right to Shoot September 11’s Wake Martin Schönteich details the life and eventual p a s s age of a controversial piece of legislation in Dialogue met with U.S. rights leaders Jamie Fellner, crime-ridden South Africa. Makubetse Sekhonyane Elisa Massimino, and Michael Ratner to learn how provides some insights from the street based on his their work has changed since September 11, and how work with officers. they are sticking to their guns in a climate of fear. Kit Gage describes how she and others organized one of the largest and most diverse coalitions of U.S. activists 11 Responding to Vigilantism ever assembled following September 11. One human rights group in Nigeria, writes Innocent Chukwuma, is working with community vigilante groups to help them fight crime—the right way. 25 Crackdown with a Blessing Activist Elizabeth K.P. Wong reports on the use and 13 “Firm Hand, Large Heart” abuse of Malaysia’s controversial Internal Security Act and its new-found international support in the According to Adam Isacson, the tough new leader post–September 11 world. Karim Raslan, a prominent of Colombia has the support of a war-weary journalist in Malaysia, finds the Bali attacks have population, making human rights work in the forced him to reconsider his support for rights in region more challenging, and more critical, than these uncertain times. ever. Jorge Rojas responds. 28 Israeli Exceptionalism? 16 Bridging Activism and Policymaking Rabbi Jeremy Milgrom explains why, as an Israeli Dialogue talked with Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro, founder human rights activist, he is isolated in his opposition and director of the Center for the Study of Violence to the widely supported policy of targeted killing. at the University of São Paulo, to learn the secrets of the center’s success and the challenges for the future. Fiona Macaulay provides insight into recent 30 Readers Respond Carnegie Council on Ethics and International Affairs gratefully acknowl- edges the valuable contribution of the International Center on Human Rights Policy (ICHRP).As part of an ongoing research project,the ICHRP organized a workshop, “Crime, Public Order, and Human Rights,” at the Carnegie Council in October 2002. For more i n formation on ICHRP’s wo r k , v i s i t www.international-council.org. Cover Photo: A member of the public is stopped and se a r ched on the streets of Derry. AT THE TA B L E Carlos Basombrío is a sociologist and Since September 11 U.S. government Rabbi Jeremy Milgrom is co-founder vice minister of the Peruvian Ministry antiterrorist policies have been a pro- and co-director of Clergy for Peace, an of the Interior. Until September 2001 he gram priority. www.hrw.org I s ra e l i / Palestinian in- was director of the Institute for Legal terfaith initiative of De f ense, a leading Lima-based human Kit Gage d i rects the National Com- C h r i s t i a n s, Muslims, rights organization. www.i d l . o r g.p e mittee against Re p re s s ive L e g i s l a- and Jews working for tion and the First Amendment Founda- justice and peace in the Andressa Caldas , Sandra Carvalho , tion in Washington, D.C. She is also M i ddle East. Rabb i and James Cavallar o all work for the president and co-founder of the Na- M i l grom completed Global Justice Center, a human rights tional Coalition to Protect Po l i t i c a l t h ree years of a c t ive advocacy and training Freedom. www.indefenseoffreedom.org duty and sixteen years of reserve duty organization based in in the Israeli Army, the last eight of Rio de Ja n i e ro. Cal- Adam Isacson has worked at the Cen- which were spent as a conscientious ob- das, the center’s legal ter for International Policy, an inde- jector. He works with Rabbis for Hu- co o rd i n a t o r , has taught pendent research and man Rights on behalf of the Jahalin civil law and legal the- advocacy organization Bedouin. www.rhr.israel.net o ry at the Catholic in Washington, D.C., U n iversity of Pa ra n á since 1995. He coordi- Rachel Neild is senior associate at the and participates ac- nates a program that Washington Office on Latin America tively in the National monitors security and (WOLA). She also directs WOLA’s Civ- Network of Grassroo t s U. S. military assis- il Society and Citizen Law ye r s . Carval h o i s tance to Latin Ameri- Security Project, which the center’s re s e a rch ca and the Caribbean, focusing prima- supports research and and commu n i c a t i o n s rily on Colombia. Since 1998 his work c ivil society cap a c i t y - director. From 1997 to has sent him to Colombia seventeen building in Centra l 2000 she served as ex- times. www.ciponline.org America on issues of ecutive secretary to the p u blic security re- Commission on Hu- Fiona Macaulay is lecturer in politi- forms. Neild writes ex- man Rights of the São cal sociology at the Institute of L a t i n tensively on public security reforms and Paulo Legislative As- American Studies, University of L o n- human rights, and, in particular, on po- s e m bl y. Cava l l a ro is founder and don, and re s e a rch fe l l ow at the Centre lice reform in Haiti. www.wola.org director of the Global Justice Center for Brazilian Studies, University of and currently splits his time between O x fo rd. She is currently completing a Paulo Sérgio Pinheir o is secretary of Rio and Cambridge, Massach u s e t t s, re s e a rch project entitled “Po l i t i c a l state for human rights in Brazil. He has where he is associate director of the and Institutional Challenges of Re- also been pro fessor Human Rights Program at Harvar d Un i - fo rming the Brazilian Criminal Ju s- o f political science versity Law School. www. gl o b a l . o rg. b r tice System.” She was head of t h e at the University of B razil desk at the International Secre- São Paulo since 1985. Innocent Chukwuma is founder and tariat of Amnesty International fro m Through the university, executive director of the Centre for Law 1997 to 2000. he and Sérgio Adorno E n fo rcement Educa- founded the Center for tion in Lagos. In addi- Elisa Massimino is director of the the Study of Violence tion to his criminal Washington office of the Law ye r s in 1987. www.nev.usp.br justice work, he is one Committee for Human o f the founders of R i g h t s, wh e re she Karim Raslan is a Kuala Lumpur–based United Action fo r serves as the point of lawyer and author. His weekly syndi- D e m o c ra cy, Nige r i a ’s contact with U.S. gov- cated column is published by the Star ch i e f p ro - d e m o c ra cy ernment leaders, inter- ( M a l aysia), B u s i n e s s political party. www.cleen.kabissa.org national diplomats, T i m e s ( S i n gap o re ) , and human rights and Sin Chew Daily Jamie Fellner is di- opinion leaders and (Malaysia). Karim also rector of the U.S. Pro- decision-makers. Massimino is the or- writes articles on an ad gram of H u m a n ganization’s chief advocacy strategist, a hoc basis for Syd n e y Rights Wa t ch, wh i ch national authority on refugee law and M o rning Hera l d, t h e addresses a wide range policy, and an expert on a range of in- Nation, and Philippine of human rights abus- t e rnational human rights issues. Daily Inquirer. He maintains a home in es in the United States. www.lchr.org Ubud, Bali. human rights dialogue Fall 2002 3 AT THE TA B L E I N T RO D U C T I O N Michael Ratner is president of the n Febr u a r y 2000, a public poll in Argentina revealed an Center for Constitutional Rights and a al a r ming tren d : when asked to chose between publi c p racticing attorn e y. While he has Ior der and freedom, nearly half the respondents said wor ked at the center most of his twen t y - they favor ed combating crime with a strong hand, even s even years as a law ye r, his other though this might entail abuses against suspected crimi- positions have included special counsel na l s .* This is a surprising fact, especially in a country that to President Aristide to assist in the has a history of abuse and brutality.