At least 35,000 people worldwide have been convicted as terrorists in the
decade since the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States. But while some
bombed hotels or blew up buses, others were put behind bars for waving a
political sign or blogging about a protest.
In the first tally ever done of global anti-terror arrests and
convictions, The Associated Press documented a surge in prosecutions under
new or toughened anti-terror laws, often passed at the urging and with the
funding of the West. Before 9/11, just a few hundred people were convicted
of terrorism each year.
The sheer volume of convictions, along with almost 120,000 arrests, shows
how a keen global awareness of terrorism has seeped into societies, and
how the war against it is shifting to the courts. But it also suggests
that dozens of countries are using the fight against terrorism to curb
dissent and throw political opponents in jail.
http://breakallchains.blogspot.com/2011/09/35000-worldwide-convicted-for-terror.html
