A/HRC/4/26 page 21 as strangers and “the other” and as potential suicide bombers, are subject to broad speculations as to their identity and the motives behind their actions. However, research is still scarce as to the underlying factors which lead individuals to resort to terrorism and particularly suicide bombings. As was demonstrated with respect to profiling, neither social, national, ethnic nor religious background present a basis for predictions of an individual being drawn into terrorism. B. Shoot-to-kill policies 74. The Special Rapporteur notes that suicide bombings present a particular challenge to counter-terrorism measures, in that they may cause the loss of many human lives and are extremely difficult to predict and prevent. In addition, suicide bombings are an inexpensive form of terrorism, and they may enjoy considerable community support. The organizations behind suicide attacks could not recruit and sustain themselves without acquiescence within the larger society.62 Whereas recruitment to terrorist organizations can be very aggressive, suicide attackers are mostly volunteers.63 75. The Special Rapporteur observes that many States are trying to carve out considerable space for restrictions to internationally recognized human rights and have allowed exceptional measures in their fight against suicide bombings as a particularly difficult form of terrorism. Surveillance techniques, databanks and data collection, tightened refugee and immigration laws and procedures, screening and profiling are some of the counter-terrorism techniques which are also motivated on the basis of preventing suicide bombings. As a fairly large proportion of perpetrators of suicide bombings are women, women have also become the focus of attention in the measures to counter these attacks. The human rights guarantees related to gender in the context of preventing suicide bombings ought to be a source of particular attention of States. 76. The Special Rapporteur is concerned about legal strategies employed by many States, such as Nigeria, Myanmar, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States of America to extend the powers of policemen to take action against potential suicide bombers.64 Several innocent persons have in fact been killed. He reiterates that the use of lethal force by law-enforcement officers must be regulated within the framework of human rights law and its strict standard of necessity. 62 See Kurth Cronin, op. cit., p. 8. 63 Wolfgang Schmidbauer elaborates on this from a psychoanalytical perspective in Der Mensch als Bombe, Rowohlt, 2003. See also Cronin, op. cit., p. 6. 64 Terrorism Act 2006, received Royal Assent on 30 March 2006; USA Patriot Act, of 24 October 2001 (Pub.L.No. 107-56, H.R. 3162), 107th Congress.

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