Counter-terrorism Law

Last night when I was doing an assignment, I read a refereed article about the counter-terrorism law in Australia. The authors compared it with British Terrorism Law and pointed out some terrible findings.

The first finding is Federal and State police are given the power of shooting to kill when they are arresting or detaining the person for an offence. Another finding is control orders can be issued for up to 12 months for adults and three months for children between 16-18 without being charged, tried or found guilty of any offence. The third finding is preventative detention needs judicial review, but the former Chief Justice said it was not more than window-dressing and the judge was "little more than a rubber stamp." - AltLJ Vol. 30:6 Dec 2005

For me one of the things is paradox. While terror is said to doubtlessly harm the peace and be cruel, the power granted to the authority is so large that seems to be out of control. A person can be detained for 12 months in Australia and three years in the US without any obvious evidence of guilty. It is not about violence, but this is like a kind of white terror. The psychological effect that will impose on that person detained for a year or three years is not measurable. If the person is innocence, its whole logic might have been changed during the year of being locked in somewhere. It is not much better than direct violence by the real terrorists.

Peace is not only about stop fighting or stop terror, but it should be truly staying in everyone's mind. We don't have to fear of anybody because no one is going to harm us. Now the authority creates another kind of scary.

That's it.

A leader of Iran's Supreme said, "Your victory was a victory for Islam. With God's help you were able to prove that military superiority is not (measured) in the number (of soldiers), planes, warships and tanks.

Rather, it depends on the power of faith and holy war."

(Source: http://www.thestar.com/)

Victory brings damages, deaths and pain as side effects. There're always winner and loser in a war. While the winner is chosen, the negative impacts are ignored. Innocent common people are ignored. They are affected badly in both physical and psychological aspects. We are all man and should be equal. No one deserves these effects.

Yet, war has never been truly over.