Human Rights Groups Exposed

David Trimble, Ulster Union leader and Nobel Peace laureate, confirms what Israelis have seen of "peace" NGOs.

Nobel Peace laureate David Trimble called human rights organizations a "great curse" Friday, accusing them of complicity in terrorist killings.

"One of the great curses of this world is the human rights industry," he told the Associated Press news agency at an international conference of terrorism victims in Madrid. "They justify terrorist acts and end up being complicit in the murder of innocent victims."...

He made his comment as one of the keynote speakers at the first international congress of terrorism victims, which ended in Madrid on Tuesday night. He backed another politician at the conference, the Colombian vice-president Francisco Santos, who said that human rights groups were hindering progress towards peace in his country. "For human rights organizations to call [the Colombian rebel group] FARC 'armed opposition groups' undermines the struggle of those who have decided to side with democracy," Santos said. "That is not right. It is unacceptable."

The Madrid conference ended with a powerful declaration which went some way to supporting Trimble. It said: "We call on NGOs and other civil organizations that stand for the defense of human rights to make a commitment to defend victims of terrorism and to identify terrorist acts for what they are, regardless of their cause or pretext and without striking balances or blurring the distinction between victims and executioners."