ATTORNEY-General and Minister of Justice Senator A J Nicholson says the proposed Anti-Terrorism Bill would not erode the human rights of Jamaicans, and that the government was committed to ensuring the protection of the rights of all citizens.

"I am keen to ensure that the state shows due regard for the provisions set out in Chapter Three of the Constitution, which represent the minimum set of rights to which all Jamaicans are entitled, simply by virtue of their nationality," he stated.

Nicholson was speaking at the opening of the American and Caribbean Law Initiative (ACLI) conference on "Emerging Trends in International and Comparative Law", at the Jamaica Grande Hotel in Ocho Rios, St Ann, recently.

The government, he said, was sensitive about the human rights concerns that had been raised during the debate on the draft anti-terrorism legislation, noting that the criticisms reflected the degree of distrust that some persons held toward the state.

Senator Nicholson pointed out that the legislation was being put in place to protect the national security of the country, and to ensure that Jamaica met its international obligations with respect to counter-terrorism.

In preparing the anti-terrorism draft legislation, he said, the government had been careful to draw on the approaches required or recommended by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1373, as well as particular treaties to which Jamaica is a party.

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