UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY-GENERAL CALLS HUMAN RIGHTS CRUCIAL FOR PEACE-BUILDING AND DEVELOPMENT
Press Release
HR/CN/795
UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY-GENERAL CALLS HUMAN RIGHTS CRUCIAL FOR PEACE-BUILDING AND DEVELOPMENT
19970410 Human Rights Commission Continues Review Of Violations of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms Throughout World(Reproduced as received.)
GENEVA, 9 April (UN Information Service) -- Experience had shown that respect for human rights was crucial for peace-building and for the broader task of ensuring development, Secretary-General Kofi Annan told the Commission on Human Rights this morning.
Gross violations of human rights invariably went hand-in-hand with situations which might threaten peace and security and were likely to degenerate into confrontation, said the Secretary-General, adding that United Nations work in the field of human rights in these situations should be seen as an inherent part of its work in the field of preventive diplomacy.
Paying tribute to the achievements of the Commission over the last 50 years, the Secretary-General said that as part of the reform measures he was undertaking, he intended to secure that the work of the Commission was further promoted and supported within the Organization.
Also addressing the Commission this morning was the Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund, Carol Bellamy, who said making a noticeable dent in the mountains of abuses and violations against children required an all-out collective effort, and everyone had to be mobilized.
Following the remarks by the Secretary-General and Ms. Bellamy, the Commission continued its review of human-rights violations throughout the world by taking up reports on the situations in Sudan, Myanmar, Iran and on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions. The Special Rapporteur on Sudan, Gaspar Biro, told the Commission that the whole range of internationally recognized human rights was violated by Government agents. The most exposed and defenceless victims of these widespread abuses were women and children, especially those belonging to ethnic and religious minorities in
the south of the country, Mr. Biro said. The representative of Sudan said Mr. Biro had used unsubstantiated information to arrive at generalizations which he considered representative of the country, while often ignoring responses from official organs on their commitment to remedy any human rights violations.
Rajsoomer Lallah, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, said the electoral process initiated in Myanmar by the general elections of 1990 had yet to reach its conclusion and democracy remained unestablished. For ethnic minorities living in border areas, displacement had become a way of life, while the suppression of the exercise of civil and political rights reportedly had attained new heights, he said. The representative of Myanmar termed the Special Rapporteur's report "essentially a grouping of political statements in the guise of legal arguments".
Meanwhile, the Commission's Special Representative on the situation of human rights in Iran, Maurice Copithorne, said that while the Government of Iran argued that it had been making progress in a number of areas, and that might indeed be true, the situation had a long way to go. The movement evident in some areas might indicate a change under way, but it had yet to bear fruit.
The Commission also heard a statement from a non-governmental organization (NGO) on behalf of 1996 Nobel Peace Prize co-laureate José Ramos-Horta, in which he stated that the human rights situation in East Timor was intimately linked to the denial of the right of the island's people to self-determination. The statement went on to say that Xanana Gusmao, the leader of the Fretilin movement, now serving a prison sentence in Indonesia, had been convicted of the same crime as Vaclav Havel, Nelson Mandela and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
Also addressing the Commission were representatives of Syria and of the following non-governmental organizations: Pax Christi International, Movement Against Racism and for Friendship Among Peoples, International Federation of Free Journalists, International Federation for the Protection of the Rights of Ethnic, Religious, Linguistic and other Minorities, France-Libertés-Fondation Danielle Mitterrand and the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
The Commission will resume its general debate on human-rights violations throughout the world this afternoon at 3 p.m.
Statement by Secretary-General
Secretary-General KOFI ANNAN said he attached great importance to the work of the Commission and felt honoured to be addressing it today. The work carried out over the last fifty years by the Commission deserved a special
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tribute. He also paid tribute to non-governmental organizations, which had played an important part in this process.
In reviewing what had been achieved since 1945, the Secretary-General said, one could see how right the drafters of the Charter were to link human rights and the maintenance of peace and security. Experience had also shown that respect for human rights was crucial to peace-building, and to the broader task of ensuring development. Gross violations of human rights invariably went hand-in-hand with situations which might threaten peace and security and were likely to degenerate into confrontation. The United Nations' work in the field of human rights in these situations should be seen as an inherent part of its work in the field of preventive diplomacy.
The United Nations had not been able to act every time this was called for, Mr. ANNAN continued. Such action required the consent of the host State, except in the case of operations undertaken under Chapter VII. But where the United Nations had been able to take preventive action, it had brought great benefits to the countries concerned. The human rights monitoring operations in Cambodia, El Salvador, Haiti, Rwanda and Bosnia and Herzegovina had proved that respect for human rights was a key element in stabilizing societies in post-conflict situations.
The right to development was the measure of the respect of all other human rights, the Secretary-General said. "That should be our aim: a situation in which all individuals are enabled to maximize their potential, and to contribute to the evolution of society as a whole".
As part of the reform measures he was undertaking, he said, he intended to secure that the work of the Commission was further promoted and supported within the Organization. Since taking office as Secretary-General, he had been committed to policy and programme coherence within the Organization, including its Funds and Programmes, and to improving coordination with other components of the system. To assist him in harmonizing decision-making within the Organization, he had created four Executive Committees, in the main areas of Peace and Security, Humanitarian Affairs, Economic and Social Affairs, and Development Operations.
Human rights was a sector in its own right, he added. He had directed that human rights dimensions should be effectively integrated in the work of the other four Executive Committees, with the full participation of the High Commissioner's Office and the Centre for Human Rights. And he intended to give his full support to the effective exercise by the High Commissioner of the key functions of the Office. He paid tribute to the first High Commissioner for Human Rights, José Ayala-Lasso, who had the difficult task of implementing the Office's early policies.
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As part of his reform process, the Secretary-General went on, he also intended to pursue the effort underway to enhance the functioning of the Secretariat of the Centre for Human Rights, so as to strengthen the services it provided to the Commission. In line with his overall policy, he was determined wherever possible to transfer to substantive programmes any savings resulting from the reform of the Centre's administration. He was totally committed to the strengthening and development of United Nations human rights machinery, as this would help prepare the Organization for the challenges of the twenty-first century. The ultimate success of that effort remained, of course, in the hands of Member States. The Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action set out the solemn commitment of Member States to the priorities of the human rights agenda. "Let us move forward to make that commitment a reality".
Statement by Executive Director of UNICEF
CAROL BELLAMY, Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), said non-discrimination and the best interests of the child were the two overarching principles which had to be respected to make a decisive difference in the lives of children. Armed conflict did not serve the best interests of the child. War was harmful to the bodies, minds and spirits of children. UNICEF worked hard with other partners to make the Graça Machel study on children and armed conflict a reality. Implementing the report's recommendations, together with UNICEF's Anti-war Agenda, could speed the end of these gross violations. "Let us not miss this opportunity".
There was no better illustration of the pressing need to realize the principle of non-discrimination than the injustices perpetrated against girls from the time they were born, Ms. BELLAMY continued. Millions of girls were subjected to early marriage, trafficking, female genital mutilation and domestic abuse. To this list were added the deliberate use of rape and sexual violence in war. To illustrate, today in Uganda the Lord's Resistance Army had abducted thousands of girls, who were then sexually abused or used to pay debts. In Afghanistan, the Taliban had barred female students and teachers from the classroom.
The best interests of the child were blatantly disregarded in hazardous child labour, she went on. It was estimated that 250 million children, or one quarter of children between 5 to 14 in developing countries, were working, many of them in dangerous conditions. The joint agreement between the International Labour Organization, Save the Children, UNICEF and the sporting goods industry in Pakistan to eliminate child labour in the production of soccer balls was one example or UNICEF's determination to end the bondage of children to exploitative practices. Malnutrition was another major problem.
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Ms. BELLAMY recommended the adoption of an optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child that would raise to 18 the minimum age of recruitment into the military. To promote the elimination of child labour, corporations should enforce codes of conduct and procurement policies to keep children from being exploited.
Violation of Human Rights in Specific Countries
As the Commission continued its discussion of the violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms in any part of the world, with particular reference to colonial and other dependent countries and territories, it received reports on the situations in Sudan, Myanmar.
The Commission reviewed a report by Special Rapporteur Gaspar Biro on the human rights situpon in Sudan (document E/CN.4/1997/58) in which he included information about slavery, bombardments, amnesty, amputations, arrests, torture and lack of due process of law, hostage-taking, arbitrary detention, summary executions, freedom of the press, indiscriminate killings of Sudanese refugees and other issues. The Special Rapporteur concluded that political and civil rights and fundamental freedoms had not improve and there were "grave and widespread violations" by government agents. Despite official statements recognising the freedom of conscience and religion, serious abuses took place recently and the situation had further deteriorated.
He said the practise of rounding up children and putting them in isolated camps continued, as did violations against the respect of the rights of women. The Special Rapporteur believed that the practise of slavery also continued, as did the indiscriminate and deliberate aerial bombardments of civilian targets in southern Sudan by the government air forces. The Special Rapporteur made a list of recommendations, including one that Sudan's government comply with its human rights obligations under international law, release all political detainees and prisoners, cease all acts of torture and close down all secret detention centres. He also called for a thorough investigation of all reported cases of violations, especially those against women and children.
In the report on the situation of human rights in Myanmar (document E/CN.4/1997/64), Special Rapporteur Rajsoomer Lallah regrets that his efforts to obtain the cooperation of the Government of Myanmar and to visit the country have so far failed. Nevertheless, the Special Rapporteur is confident that much of the evidence brought to his attention speaks for itself.
The Special Rapporteur observes that the absence of respect for the rights pertaining to democratic governance is at the root of all the major violations of human rights in Myanmar in so far as this absence implies a
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structure of power which is autocratic and accountable only to itself, thus inherently resting on the denial and repression of fundamental rights. The Special Rapporteur concludes that genuine and enduring improvements in the situation of human rights in Myanmar cannot be attained without respect for the rights pertaining to democratic governance. In this regard, he notes with particular concern that the electoral process initiated in Myanmar by the general elections of 27 May 1990 has still not reached its conclusion and that the Government still has not implemented its commitments to take all necessary steps towards the establishment of democracy in the light of those elections.
Detailed reports and photographs seen by the Special Rapporteur lead him to conclude that extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, the practice of torture, portering and forced labour continue to occur in Myanmar, particularly in the context of development programmes and of counter-insurgency operations in minority-dominated regions.
The Special Rapporteur expresses his deep concern at the continued detention of many political prisoners, in particular elected representatives, and the recent arrests and harassment of other supporters of democratic groups in Myanmar, culminating at the end of September 1996 in the massive arrests of National League for Democracy (NLD) supporters and the virtual blockade of the Secretary-General of the NLD in her compound.
On the basis of virtually unanimous reports and other information, the Special Rapporteur concludes that there is essentially no freedom of thought, opinion, expression or association in Myanmar. The absolute power of the governing State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) is exercised to silence opposition and penalize those holding dissenting views or beliefs.
The Commission also reviewed a report by Special Rapporteur Bacre Waly Ndiaye on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions (document E/CN.4/1997/60). The Special Rapporteur reports that during the period under review, he transmitted 131 urgent appeals on behalf of more than 1,100 persons, as well as on behalf of members of certain families, various indigenous communities, groups of refugees, internally displaced persons and the civilian population in various conflict areas. Urgent appeals were transmitted to the Governments of the following countries: Argentina, Bahrain, Brazil, Burundi, Chad, China, Colombia, Comoros, Costa Rica, Djibouti, Egypt, El Salvador, Georgia, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Singapore, Sudan, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United States, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Zaire. Among these were 13 joint urgent appeals transmitted with other experts of the Commission on Human Rights to the Governments of Colombia, Djibouti, Guatemala, Indonesia, Iran, Mexico, Russian Federation, Sudan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Viet Nam and Zaire.
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The Special Rapporteur concludes that the incidence of the violation of the right to life had not decreased in the year under review. One of the most prevalent targets of extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions had continued to be persons involved in struggles such as those to secure rights to land or to prevent or combat racial, ethnic or religion discrimination. He urges the international community to assist in the establishment of a coherent multifaceted system of prevention of conflicts that would embody a rapid intervention components to avert the degeneration of situations where the threat of massive human rights violations existed.
The Special Rapporteur also makes recommendations on such issues as capital punishment, death threats, death in custody, excessive use of force by law enforcement officials, violations of the right of life during armed conflict, genocide, imminent expulsion of persons to countries where their lives were in danger, impunity and rights of victims. An addendum to the report contains case studies on 95 countries and territories.
In his report on the situation of human rights in Iran (document E/CN.4/1997/63), Maurice Copithorne, Special Representative of the Commission, writes that in his view, there is no doubt that progress is being made in a number of sectors, but as of yet not in all. The status of women in Iran has been widely and generally critically discussed. While the legal and practical disabilities faced by women in Iran have been well documented, it is now clear that some change has been effected in recent years and that there are a number of signs that further and substantive improvements may be on the way. The Special Representative would note particularly the positive attitude being displayed by some members of the political elite, and the considerable public discourse under way.
The Special Representative notes that there is in Iran a lively debate on many public issues, including the freedom of expression itself. The boundaries of political correctness are being challenged by the media, particularly by journalists and writers. However, the system is not working in a way that respects the freedom of expression. In particular, the Press Law jury system and the existing arrangements for the approval of book and film scripts need to be made less arbitrary.
While there does appear to be an atmosphere of change in the legal system, he continues, particularly reflecting the need to articulate legal norms more clearly, there are a number of other areas which remain to be addressed, including the application of the death penalty, allegations that there remain some prisoners of conscience in Iranian jails, the treatment of religious dissidents, the rights of individuals at the pretrial phase and the public incitement by some personages to take extrajudicial action. The Special Representative also notes little progress in the matter of the Fatwa against Salman Rushdie; and continuing concern about the situation of the
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Baha'is in Iran and of certain other religious minorities. Among other recommendations, he urges the Government to implement the outstanding recommendations of the Special Rapporteur on religious intolerance.
Just issued and of relevance to the Commission's agenda item 10, on which discussion began yesterday, was a report on the situation in East Timor (E/CN.4/1997/51). The document updates the good-offices activities of the Secretary-General and outlines actions taken by thematic rapporteurs and working groups of the Commission. Separate annexes contain information provided by the Government of Indonesia, the Government of Portugal, and various non-governmental sources. Among the thematic special rapporteurs and working groups to address various aspects of the situation on the island, according to the report, were the Special Rapporteur on torture, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, and the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions.
GASPAR BIRO, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Sudan, introducing his report, said circumstances in the country, for the fourth year in a row, had not improved but had deteriorated; that the whole range of internationally recognized human rights was violated by agents of the Government; and that the Government, despite repeated calls by the Commission and the General Assembly, had failed to take any substantial steps to hold responsible the identifiable perpetrators of these widespread abuses.
The Government had compiled report in response to his own, Mr. BIRO said, and it had been made available to the Centre for Human Rights; another Government report on investigations into disappearances, slavery, and slavery-like practices was still being translated. The main conclusion of the Government's reply, as he understood it, was that the situation of human rights in Sudan compared with other countries was reasonably good and nothing more was needed than cooperation, as opposed to the supposed "confrontational and sceptical attitude of the Special Rapporteur resulting from a lack of practical experience".
He hoped the Government's promise of cooperation would take a more substantial form than to date, Mr. BIRO said, because the situation of human rights in the country had little possibility of improving in the short term; the list of violations and atrocities which he had gathered over four years included extrajudicial killings, summary executions, involuntary disappearances, arbitrary arrests, torture, lack of legal process, restrictions on speech, association, assembly, and movement, violations of the rights of women and the rights of children, slavery, and slavery-like practices. Violations of freedom of religion were constantly reported, he said.
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Of particular concern were the repeated calls made at the highest levels of the Government for declaration of war against a vaguely defined domestic enemy, Mr. BIRO said -- these statements could signal yet a further deterioration in the situation. The most exposed and defenceless victims around the country were women and children, especially those belonging to ethnic and religious minorities in the south of the country.
The Commission should continue to consider the state of affairs in the country as a matter of urgent priority, the Special Rapporteur said, and should place human-rights field officers in the Sudan to monitor events there.
AHMED EL MUFTI (Sudan), responding to the report by the Special Rapporteur on Sudan, said the document contained information which could not have been properly examined or substantiated considering the time factor and the expert's apparent inability to take into consideration information supplied by official groups. The sources of his information could not be devoid of political consideration and the Commission should carefully scrutinize the report if a balanced resolution on human rights in Sudan was expected. Mr. Biro had held talks with Government officials, but his visit had been interrupted by the foreign aggression on the southern and eastern borders of Sudan. Prior to those attacks, Mr. Biro had met with the leaders of the armed aggression, who had raised the human rights banner to camouflage their political and military objectives. Yet the Special Rapporteur seemed to give their observations greater credibility than he would ever give to official sources. Mr. Biro had used unsubstantiated information to arrive at generalizations which he considered representative of the country, while often ignoring responses from official organs on their commitment to undertake effective measures to remedy any human rights violations.
RAJSOOMER LALLAH, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, said the electoral process initiated in Myanmar by the general elections of 1990 had yet to reach its conclusion and democracy remained unestablished. Many political leaders, in particular elected representatives, remained deprived of their liberty. Meanwhile, the violation of human rights persisted, and included torture, arbitrary executions, forced labour, including forced portering for the military, abuse of women, political persecution, forced displacement, restrictions on expression and association, and oppression of ethnic and religious minorities.
The Government had not allowed him to visit, Mr. LALLAH said, and had not even responded to his written requests to do so; he hoped it would begin to extend greater cooperation. His information had come from sources he considered reliable, including Governmental, inter-governmental and non-governmental agencies, and individuals who had recently left Myanmar or had relevant information about the situation there.
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For ethnic minorities living in border areas, displacement had become a way of life, he said. The present legal and institutional framework for power continued to be exercised by those in power in a way that violated human rights; and suppression of the exercise of civil and political rights reportedly had attained new heights. In conclusion, he was forced to say with deep regret that there had been no improvement or even sign of improvement of the human-rights situation in the country, and it was clear that systematic violations continued. Establishment of a democratic order would in itself create the most secure basis for a remedy.
U AYE (Myanmar) said a superficial glance revealed that the report of the Special Rapporteur on Myanmar was essentially a grouping of political statements in the guise of legal arguments. They were intended to exert pressure to influence the outcome of events that had to be decided by the inhabitants of the country, not outsiders. The report contained numerous cases of wide-ranging allegations. But on closer scrutiny, one could see that the allegations were carefully qualified with phrases such as "it was reported", "allegedly arrested", and so on. It followed that flawed conclusions would result from such accusations. The report stressed perceived negative elements, while turning a blind eye to all constructive and positive achievements. Accuracy, objectivity and balance had fallen victim to expediency, lack of resources and time constraints.
The Special Rapporteur accused his country of non-cooperation, the representative continued. Myanmar had not accepted the appointment of the Rapporteur; none the less, it had consistently cooperated with the United Nations and its representatives in dealing with human rights and other issues. The Rapporteur had also attempted to reveal shortcomings in the operation of the legal system in Myanmar; in fact, civil, criminal and military courts of law were functioning normally throughout the country. Trials and the administration of justice were carried out in public courts in strict observance of basic principles. The independence of the judiciary was strictly maintained and there was no control or influence exercised by the Government over the administration of justice. The Rapporteur had also elaborated on the constitutional process in Myanmar during the current stage of transition, raising questions as to whether it would lead to a multi-party democracy. The National Convention was meeting to take concrete and systematic steps to build a genuine, multi-party, democratic State.
BACRE WALY NDIAYE, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, said that, for the fifth time, his report to the Commission reflected the all too frequent attempts on life in more than 93 countries. In 1996, 131 urgent appeals on behalf of more than 1,100 people had been sent to more than 40 countries, without taking into account the appeals made in favour of family groups, indigenous communities, refugees and displaced persons. Since November of last year, 56 urgent appeals had been
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sent and allegations concerning 1,300 individual cases of arbitrary executions had been transmitted to more than 50 countries.
Mr. NDIAYE said he regretted that Special Rapporteurs had not been associated to the reforms of the Centre of the Human Rights which, he feared, would result in a reduction of the means made available to them. He deplored the non-existence of efficient and viable mechanisms in the field of the prevention of human rights violations and the lack of means to intervene in case of humanitarian crises. He had received invitations from the Governments of the United States, Sri Lanka and Algeria to visit their respective countries; discussions regarding possible visits to Turkey and China had been held in the past year. The Governments of India, Tajikistan and Bangladesh had not responded to his requests for country visits, while the Government of Mexico had refused a joint visit by himself and the Special Rapporteur on torture.
The Special Rapporteur added that the abolition of the death penalty would mark substantial progress in the enjoyment of the right to life. Against this background, the adoption of the resolution introduced by Italy on the death penalty last Thursday was a welcome development. However, certain countries had chosen to not even respect the existing restrictions on the application of the death penalty. Such countries had broadened, or were preparing to do so, the criteria for its application; or they had reintroduced the death penalty after having abolished it. In 1996, Kuwait and Lybia had done so.
MAURICE COPITHORNE, Special Representative on the situation of human rights in Iran, said his mandate continued to be a challenging one, in part because of the many individuals and organizations with an interest in the matter, many of whom expressed passionate and often contradictory views, and in part because of the difficulty of ascertaining the facts in many situations. Nevertheless, the overall picture was clear -- the Government of Iran argued that it had been making progress in a number of areas, and that might indeed be true, but it also was true that the situation had a long way to go. He did wish to acknowledge that there had indeed been movement in a number of areas and that generally the movement might indicate a change under way, but which had yet to bear fruit.
He had included in his report this year an executive summary, which perhaps lacked subtlety, but nevertheless should assist the Commission in preparing its decisions on Iran this year, the Special Representative said. He would have preferred to be able to say that progress was being made across the board, but could not say that; and he must add that since delivering the report information had reached him in which respect for human-rights norms was clearly lacking. He also had to note negative developments in the case of the
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writer Salman Rushdie, specifically, the increased bounty for his life announced by the 15 Khordad Foundation.
The Government had not extended him an invitation to visit this year, Mr. CAPITHORNE said; he regretted that, but noted that in other respects there had been full cooperation extended by Iran; he trusted he might receive an invitation in July or August. He also recommended that the request of the Government for technical assistance be sympathetically considered.
He also wished to note his deep concern for the integrity of the Special Rapporteur process that was posed by a court case launched recently against one of his colleagues, Mr. CAPITHORNE said; the Commission should not turn a blind eye to the situation.
Statements in Debate
GHASSAN EL-NOSAIR (Syria) said southern Lebanon and the Western Bekaa Valley had been under Israeli occupation since 1978 despite United Nations resolutions calling on Israel to unconditionally withdraw from Lebanese territories. This occupation, which was accompanied with bombing of villages and destruction of homes, was a daily Israeli violation of human rights. For example, at Qana, Israel had killed more than 100 men, women and children with deliberate bombing. Israel also continued its violence against civilians, detaining and torturing hundreds. Everyone knew Israel was responsible for the destruction of the peace process through its settlement policies and refusal to honour peace agreements. The Commission should condemn Israel's terrorism and continued violations of human rights in southern Lebanon.
MILENA PIRES, of Pax Christi International, speaking on behalf of the Movement Against Racism and for Friendship Among Peoples and the International Service for Human Rights, read a text by José Ramos-Horta, 1996 Nobel Prize winner, in which he stated that the human rights situation in East Timor was intimately linked to the denial of the right of the people of East Timor to self-determination. More than two decades after its invasion by Indonesia, the East Timor conflict remained unsolved. The massacre of 271 Timorese civilians in Dili in November 1991 had not been an isolated incident: it followed a well-documented pattern of gross and systematic human rights abuses in many parts of East Timor perpetrated by the Indonesian armed forces. In a recent letter to the Commission from Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo, the Nobel Prize co-laureate, had written that prisoners were tortured and that families of suspected youths knew no peace at night. The East Timorese resistance leadership had stated its solemn commitment to uphold international human-rights standards when the country became independent. Xanana Gusmao, the leader of the Fretilin movement, now serving an unjust prison sentence in Indonesia, had been convicted of the same crime as Vaclav Havel, Nelson Mandela and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi -- the crime of wanting freedom.
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ISABELLE SCHERRER, of Amnesty International, said that over the past 50 years, the Commission had won some victories but had too often not taken steps against countries which violated human rights. Amnesty would highlight the situations in five countries: Algeria, Colombia, Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey. In Algeria, the cycle of violence continued. There were flagrant attacks by military forces and the army, and many of the victims were unarmed civilians. Security forces continued to carry out executions and hundreds had disappeared after detention. Amnesty appealed to the Commission to break the wall of silence by ensuring that the Special Rapporteur on arbitrary detention went to Algeria. The Commission last year had recognized the seriousness of human rights violations in Colombia. The situation had deteriorated with executions and torture. The Commission had to show that the opening of a human-rights office in Bogotá did not mean an end to its right to investigate violations. In Indonesia, detention of prisoners of opinion continued. There was torture and violent suppression of oppression of human rights activists. The Commission should issue a resolution on Indonesia and East Timor in the face of the Government's intransigence. In Nigeria, terror and intimidation prevailed and there had been a new wave of arrests in recent years for pro-democracy activities. It was time to appoint a Special Rapporteur on Nigeria. And in Turkey, 1996 had been a black year with further proof of collusion at the highest level in the commission of acts of torture and extrajudicial disappearances. The Commission should urge Turkey to invite the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial executions to go and report on the situation there.
ALGIS TOMAS GENIUSAS, of the International Federation of Free Journalists, said the group was gravely concerned about the unremitting violations of the right of freedom of opinion and expression, as well as the inalienable right to seek, receive and impart information, in many parts of the world. For example, the media was severely censored and suppressed by the authoritarian regime of Belarus. In the Balkans, in Serb-dominated Kosova, violations included the systematic harassment, persecution, intimidation and imprisonment of journalists. in 1993 the United Nations had proclaimed the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People. The world the world was well aware of the continuing struggles of the peoples of Tibet, Kashmir, East Timor, Kurdistan and Kosova. However, the world was little, if at all, conscious of the unrestrained extinction of the unique identity and culture of numerous indigenous peoples, including the Finno-Ugric peoples, victims of Russian colonial expansionism.
KYRIACOS KALATTAS, of the International Federation for the Protection of the Rights of Ethnic, Religious, Linguistic, and Other Minorities, said the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974 had caused thousands of deaths and injuries; forced 200,000 Greek Cypriots to flee their homes; and resulted in occupation of 37 per cent of the island. Massive human-rights problems, including harassment, discrimination, and intimidation of "enclaved" Greek
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Cypriots in Turkish-held areas, continued to this day. Information had never been provided, 23 years after the invasion, on the fates of 1,619 missing persons, and their families had a right to know. Meanwhile, Turkey had brought in some 85,000 Anatolian colonists, greatly changing the demographic character of the island; the colonists now outnumbered Turkish Cypriots. In Cyprus, Turkey had violated with impunity all international human-rights conventions. For the restoration of human rights on the island, concerted action must be taken by the international community with the same determination it had demonstrated elsewhere.
ANITA TEXIER, of France Libertés - Fondation Danielle Mitterrand, said the human-rights situations in Colombia and Peru had not improved, and had in certain areas actually deteriorated. In Colombia, forced disappearances, torture and summary or extrajudicial executions had not diminished; in 1996 alone, some 3,000 people had died for political or ideological reasons and there were some 180,000 displaced persons. Human-rights defenders were threatened and brought before the courts. Worse still was the rise of paramilitary groups endorsed by Parliament and the Government. In Peru, the hostage-taking at the Japanese Ambassador's residence had to be condemned; however, the demands of the hostage-takers had to do with the inhuman conditions faced by Peruvian prisoners. Peru did not respect the minimum standards set by the United Nations for the treatment of detainees.
ISABELLE OSEREDOZUK, of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, said the Committee of the Human Rights of Parliamentarians was examining the cases of 109 parliamentarians in the following countries: Albania, Burundi, Cambodia, Colombia, Gambia, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nigeria, Togo, Tunisia and Turkey. The organization wished to draw special attention to the situations in Burundi, Indonesia and Cambodia. In the first country, the National Assembly had not been able to function properly following its dissolution after the coup d'état of June 1996; the authorities of that country had not taken any measures to allow Parliamentarians that had been forced into exile to return to the country. In Indonesia, Parliamentarian Sri Bintang Pamungkas had been sentenced to prison for having allegedly insulted the President of Indonesia. Mr. Bintang had subsequently been arrested and accused of subversion after calling on his party members to ignore the legislative elections of 1997 and to oppose the re-election of President Suharto. Meanwhile, in Cambodia, the situation of Sam Rainsy was of concern. He had been the target of the grenade attack that had killed more than 10 people on 30 March in Phnom Penh.
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