The response to the September 11 2001 attacks heralded a new era that brought with it an enormous increase in repression

The moment Wahid Sheikh’s life changed forever was broadcast on television to a global audience of millions, including him. At the time, it appeared to be happening entirely to others, a long way from his Mumbai home. “I watched the buildings collapse, slowly and gradually, sad to watch ordinary people dying,” he recalls.

Vukosava Crnjanski, a Serbian activist travelling in Denmark, remembers crowds huddled around newsagents reading stories hastily printed on A4 sheets. “People looked so intense and tried to explain to me – it’s an attack on the US,” she says.

This post was originally published on Human rights | The Guardian.