Implications of September 11 for the human rights regime

The recent case brought by a British citizen, Feroz Ali Abbasi, against the British government raised some important questions concerning post‐September 11. Among them, it highlighted the limitations of the human rights regime when a citizen of one country is held by another country. Second, it showed the continuing power of national security arguments in trumping human rights. And finally, it showed the power of political sensitivities over legal reasoning and fundamental human rights.