State terrorism

State terrorism is a controversial concept that is without a clear definition (see below). Depending on definition it can include acts of violence or repressions perpetrated by a national government or its proxy. Whether a particular act is described as "terrorism" may depend on whether the speaker considers the action justified or necessary, or whether it is carried out as part of an armed conflict. It may also depend on whether the speaker supports the government in question.

Methods of state terror

Unfair trials, torture, terror bombing, and extrajudicial execution are said to be common practices of state terror, often used to terrorize domestic populations by sovereign or proxy regimes.

Related Topics:
Trial - Torture - Terror bombing - Extrajudicial execution

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Citizens of Western nations are generally protected from unfair trial by constitutional or legislative safeguards and the requirements of due process, although recently in the United States, Supreme Court intervention was required to uphold such safeguards, as in the 2004 case of Hamdi v. Rumsfeld. Undeveloped nations may have weaker institutions and unstable political climates that allow governments to have greater influence over the judiciary than in wealthier nations, allowing dissenters to be victimized as criminals.

Related Topics:
Western nations - Constitution - Due process - Supreme Court - 2004 - Hamdi v. Rumsfeld

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According to Amnesty International (1997), in 1996, out of 150 countries surveyed, 82 had participated in torture.

Related Topics:
Amnesty International - 1997 - 1996 - Torture

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Extrajudicial execution

Extrajudicial execution, or political murder, is the practice of states or their proxies to assassinate citizens because they are viewed as threats, and/or to intimidate communities. Extrajudicial execution may be carried out by the official military, police forces, or unofficial paramilitaries (often called "death squads" or euphemized as "civilian defence"). In the latter case, there may be strong ties between the paramilitaries and official forces, with an overlapping membership and/or a "blind eye" turned to illegal activities.

Related Topics:
Paramilitaries - Death squad

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See also: Janjaweed

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Such death squads often unpredictably attack the socially disadvantaged ("undesirables"), religious or ethnic minorities, or citizens deemed to be subversive. Their targets typically include the homeless, street children, union leaders, indigenous peoples, clergy, activists, journalists, and academics. Death squads conveniently shield their sponsors from liability, the illusion of spontaneous criminal violence providing plausible deniability. Often, the bodies of victims are secretly disposed, typically in mass graves, leaving no evidence of a crime and increasing the trauma to families and communities. These cases are known as "forced disappearances", and take place particularly in South America. The UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances was formed in 1980 to investigate the global phenomenon of unexplained disappearances.

Related Topics:
Homeless - Street child - Union - Indigenous people - Clergy - Activist - Journalist - Academic - Deniability - Mass grave - Trauma - Forced disappearance - South America - 1980

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See also: Albanians in the Republic of Macedonia

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