U.S. new anti-terrorism program violates human rights: UN experts

GENEVA, April 14, (Xinhua) -- A group of United Nations human rights experts on Wednesday said that the United States' anti-terrorism program "Rewards for Justice" is violating the human rights of some of the individuals it targets.

According to a joint statement by the experts, the program, operated by the U.S. State Department, offers money for information about people outside the United States who are designated by the U.S. government as being associated with terrorism but have not been charged with any crimes.

The UN experts said that many of the people targeted by the program have had their due process rights denied, including the presumption of innocence and fair trial.

By offering money for information that can lead to the capture of these individuals, "the program encourages others to participate in the denial of these rights," the experts argued.

The offers of money to foreign individuals alleged to be involved in terrorist activity comes with threats to impose sanctions if they don't cooperate with the U.S. Government's demands, the experts added.

The experts who signed Wednesday's joint statement include Alena Douhan, UN Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights, and a number of experts from the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.