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Human Rights of 200 MPs Flouted in



Subject: Human Rights of 200 MPs Flouted in 33 Countries

INTER-PARLIAMENTARY UNION
PLACE DU PETIT-SACONNEX
1211 GENEVA 19

Press release of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
Berlin, 16 October 1999
N° 9


HUMAN RIGHTS OF 200 MPs FLOUTED IN 33 COUNTRIES

            The 102nd Inter-Parliamentary Conference, which took place from
10 to 16 October at Berlin International Conference Centre, ended with the
last sitting of the Council of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the
governing body of the world organisation of parliaments. The Council
examined the
            report of the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians
on the cases of 200 MPs from 33 countries (including the public cases of 130
            MPs in 17 countries). At present, there are some 42,000
parliamentarians throughout the world. 

            The Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians (which
meets four times yearly to examine the cases of parliamentarians who have
suffered
            arbitrary treatment during their term of office) is composed of
five members: Mr François Autain, France, President; Mr Hilarion Etong,
Cameroon,
            Vice-President, as well as Mr François Borel, Switzerland; Mr
Juan Pablo Letelier, Chile; and Mr Mahinda Samarasinghe, Sri Lanka. 

            The Committee, which examined among others the case of the 15
former Turkish MPs of Kurdish origin and in particular the case of Mrs Leila
            Zana, was "profoundly dismayed that the Turkish Grand National
Assembly fails to take into consideration the constant appeals the IPU has made
            to it in favour of an amnesty for those former MPs" and
"remains convinced, in the light of the evidence on file, that they were
found guilty and
            sentenced on account of having exercised their freedom of
expression in advocating a political solution to the conflict in
south-eastern Turkey". 

            The Committee reiterated "its appeal to grant these former MPs,
including those in exile, an amnesty, which, it is convinced, would clearly
exemplify
            the stated will of the Turkish authorities to promote and
respect human rights". 

            Among the new cases examined by the Committee on the Human
Rights of Parliamentarians is that of Mr Ilie Ilascu, an elected member of the
            Parliament of the Republic of Moldova since 1994 who has never
been able to take up his seat because he was arrested with five other
persons in
            1992 in Tiraspol, the capital of the self-proclaimed
Transdniestr Republic on a charge of murder of two "civil servants" and
secessionist "authorities"
            and with "terrorist activities". The Committee notes "that this
accusation has to be seen in the context of the civil war which took place
following the
            Republic of Moldova's declaration of independence and the
ensuing secession of Transdniestr". 

            At the close of a trial that took place in 1993, Mr Ilascu was
sentenced to death. The Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians is
            "indignant at Mr. Ilascu's trial, sentencing and imprisonment".
It notes "that Mr. Ilascu is in prison as a result of a verdict which,
having been handed
            down by an organ of a territorial entity not recognised by the
international community, lacks any legal basis and must be considered null
and void".
            The Committee "is deeply concerned at the conditions under
which Mr Ilascu and the others are detained" and calls "for the ICRC to be
permitted
            to visit Mr Ilascu". It further requests "the IPU Secretary
General to make all possible representations including to the parliamentary
authorities of
            the Russian Federation in order to obtain Mr Ilascu's transfer
before a competent, independent and impartial tribunal". 

            Among the other cases examined by the Committee on the Human
Rights of Parliamentarians is that of 53 parliamentarians from Myanmar. The
            Committee President, Mr François Autain (France), declared that
"the case of the Burmese MPs elected in 1990 is particularly painful for the
            Inter-Parliamentary Union. It is no secret that the MPs elected
in 1990 have never been able to exercise their mandate. This is why some of
them
            have decided to set up a Committee representing the People's
Parliament. The Committee asks you to reaffirm that, in setting up this
Committee, the
            MPs-elect are merely defending the rights of their
constituents, to take part in the conduct of public affairs through
representatives of their choice. It
            calls on you and your parliaments to press for respect for
democratic principles in Myanmar and show, by whatever means you deem
appropriate,
            particularly through support for the Committee representing the
People's Parliament, your solidarity with your colleagues from the
Parliament of
            Myanmar. The Committee also invites you to keep it informed of
any steps you may have taken to that effect". 

            The Committee went public with the cases of violations of the
rights of MPs from the following countries: Argentina, Belarus, Bhutan and
Ecuador. 



                 Contact: Mrs. Luisa Ballin, IPU Information Officer in
Geneva. Tel.: (41.22) 919.41.16 or 919 41 27, fax: (41.22) 733 31 41 or 919
                 41 60, e-mail: lb@xxxxxxxxxxxx or cd@xxxxxxxxxxxx, (in
Berlin from 6 to 16 October): tel. (49.30) 3038 6203/04 or (0049) 0172
                 326 77 01, fax: (49.30) 3038 6067. 

                 The IPU also has a Liaison Office with the UN in New York.
Tel.: (1 212) 5575880, fax: (1 212) 5573954, e-mail:
                 ny-office@xxxxxxxxxxxx

PD Burma
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