Since the 11 September events in America, that country's administration has severely restricted the civil rights of the American people, particularly the foreigners residing in that country. It has done so through passing the anti-terrorism law, issuing presidential directives, and sending secret memoranda to the judiciary under the pretext of fighting terrorism. One such measure was a directive issued on 23 November concerning the creation of military courts for trying immigrants and foreigners suspected of involvement in terrorist activities. This has drawn a chorus of condemnation from the democrats in Congress, foreign governments and civil right activists in that country. According to the directive, which is considered by many American lawyers to be in contravention of the country's constitution, judicial investigations into the cases of the defendants in military courts will be conducted without any possibility of bail. Nor will they be allowed to appeal to American or international courts. Currently around 1,100 suspects, who are chiefly from Islamic Middle Eastern states, are being held in detention. They have been divested of many of their basis rights, and their voices cannot be heard by anyone. The decision by Bush to create a military court for the trial of terrorist suspects has prompted European states, particularly Spain, to refuse to hand over to America more than 10 individuals suspected of belonging to terrorist groups. They fear that these suspects may not receive a fair trial in America. America, which always accuses other countries of violating human rights, is today placing terrorist suspects, who may even be innocent, in solitary confinement without access to any means of mass communication, thus depriving them of the basic human rights, in contravention of its own constitution. And, under the pretext of fighting terrorism, it violates human rights - rights which are global. In the 23 November directive, Bush has in effect drawn a clear line between the rights of American citizens and foreign immigrants. This is a blatant case of discrimination in rights - something which is not practised anywhere else in the world. It is worth mentioning that in the past America had severely criticized and put pressure on other governments in the world for trying terrorist suspects in military courts. The American State Department had in 1999 condemned the government of Peru for the creation of a secret military court, and called on that country to accept international regulations, such as the need for open and fair trials and observance of defendants' basic rights. The recent action of the American president clearly demonstrates the need for the American administration to observe human rights. Moreover, it places this country, which claims to be a forerunner in the sphere of human rights in the world, in the same rank as countries which restrict civil rights under the pretext of security considerations. It appears that if the directive issued by Bush becomes law, then that country's re-entry into the UN Human Rights Commission, from which it was expelled this year, will become much more difficult. [End]