February 7, 2005. Lima, Peru. - More than 400 supreme court judges, court officials, law enforcement officers, policy makers, and human rights advocates in Ecuador , Honduras , Mexico , Nicaragua , Peru and Washington discussed laws and regulations to combat terrorism in a GDLN videoconference dialogue on January 25, 2005. Participants analyzed current legal instruments, assessing their effectiveness and discussing how human rights aspects should be incorporated into laws developed to defend nations against terrorist violence.

"The consequences of terrorism are well known throughout history - death, insecurity, and uncertainty," said Francisco Obando Galeano, chief of the 5th police district in Managua, Nicaragua. "But we cannot fight terrorism with terrorism. We have to establish a legal framework with sanctions and preventative measures."

Participants affirmed the importance of upholding the rule of law, and agreed on the need to understand the new forms and tactics of terrorism from a legal perspective. They called for international standards that define the scope and limits of domestic laws, international law, and human rights as countries fight against terrorism within and beyond national borders.

The dialogue was organized by the Pontificia Universidad Católica in Lima, host of the GDLN Center in Peru. Follow-up events will include a dialogue on international human rights law in the post-9/11 world.

For more information, please visit http://www.pucp.edu.pe/idehpucp/avisos.php?id=2868 or contact the GDLN Team in Peru at gdln@pucp.edu.pe .

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