The civil liberties group Statewatch made a stinging...

The civil liberties group Statewatch made a stinging attack on a recent European Commission Communication on asylum policy and the threat of terrorism. The group accused the Commission of displaying flagrant disregard for basic human rights obligations relating to torture, the death penalty and the right to privacy. The Commission paper was drawn up in response to the September 11 terrorist attacks in the US.
The civil rights group rejected the Commission's idea of accelerating expulsion procedures for alleged terrorists. It insisted all asylum-seekers must have full procedural rights inside the EU. It accused the Commission of implying that Member States should be able to choose whether or not to expel someone who may then face the death penalty. Such a provision would fly in the face of the anti-death penalty clause inserted into the recently-agreed EU arrest warrant, it noted.