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This study aims to explain the security rights violations of terrorism suspects. It develops a theoretical model and assesses its predictions using a sample of post-Soviet states. The author uses original data on security rights violations of individuals implicated in terrorism and their family members and supporters, collected by means of systematic content analysis of several types of reports. Contrary to a widely held belief that the magnitude of terrorism is the main determinant of human rights practices in the context of the ‘war on terror’, the study finds no support for the impact of terrorist attacks on security rights violations of terrorism suspects. Political conflict, on the other hand, appears to be a stronger predictor of security rights violations in the post Soviet nations. Statistical results also lend support to the impact of international norms and a number of other factors on human rights violations in the name of combating terrorism. The author discusses implications of the findings for the theory and practice of human rights.