A human rights framework for the protection of security

Submission by Amnesty International to the Group of Specialists on Human Rights and the Fight against Terrorism established by the Steering Committee on Human Rights of the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers -- This document describes some of the main features of recent anti-terrorism legislation and legislative proposals that have given rise to human rights concerns, in particular: the concept of ''terrorism'', which often has been vaguely and broadly defined, has been increasingly used in criminal and other areas of law; the establishment of indefinite administrative detention as an alternative to prosecution of some people suspected of involvement in politically motivated crime; new procedures have been introduced to facilitate extradition; the criteria and procedure to determine applications for refugee status have been amended.