From 07 to 08 October 2025, the International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law (IIJ) Counter-terrorism Platform for Human Rights Engagement (CT PHARE) attended in Istanbul, Türkiye, The Global Parliamentary Conference on Counter-Terrorism and Prevention of Violent Extremism, organised by the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism Programme Office in Doha, Parliamentary Engagement in Preventing and Countering Terrorism.
CT PHARE Project Manager, Francesca Amerio, participated in Session 5, where discussions focused on strengthening parliamentary oversight of counter-terrorism efforts and promoting the implementation of the GCTF Brussels Memorandum on Good Practices for Oversight and Accountability Mechanisms in Counterterrorism Operations. This session also included the Chair of the Legislative Working Group of the GCTF Brussels Memorandum.
Parliaments worldwide are uniquely positioned to guarantee that counter-terrorism measures respect fundamental rights and freedoms. This means that any restrictions on rights must be lawful, strictly necessary, proportionate, and non-discriminatory; that due process and judicial safeguards are in place; and that effective remedies—including reparation, compensation, truth, and accountability—are accessible.
One of the panellists of this session stressed that “we often repeat the phrase ‘human rights-compliant and gender-sensitive counter-terrorism.’ But compliance and sensitivity are technical words. They belong to policy documents, not to people. If we are to make them real, we have to speak about lives [...] and about the quiet exhaustion of human rights defenders who must prove, again and again, that they are the solution, not the risk”.
Oversight is meaningful only when accountability is paired with transparency. Parliaments should require governments to report not only on the operational aspects of counter-terrorism but also on its impacts on human rights and civic space. Without this, oversight risks becoming purely formalistic and incomplete.
The GCTF Brussels Memorandum promotes such formal consultation processes, offering not only technical guidance but also a normative benchmark for good practice. This approach reflects CT PHARE’s ongoing commitment to strengthening oversight and accountability mechanisms in counter-terrorism.