The IPU Committee on the human rights of parliamentarians, chaired by Canadian Senator Sharon Carstairs, met in mid-July in Geneva to examine its extensive caseload. This included the case of six Philippine parliamentarians charged in 2006 with rebellion, of whom one MP, Congressman Beltran, was detained. A Committee delegation travelled to the Philippines in April 2007 and concluded that the charges were politically motivated. It was therefore much to the Committee's satisfaction that two months later, the Supreme Court dropped the charges and ordered Congressman Beltran's release.

Mr. Gonchar, a prominent politician in Belarus and fierce opponent of the President, disappeared in 1999, together with his friend, Mr. Krasovsky. Their fate has yet to be elucidated. In 2004, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Rapporteur, Mr. Pourgourides, concluded that steps had been taken at the highest State level to cover up the real circumstances surrounding the disappearances. At its July 2007 session, the Committee paid particular attention to this long-standing case in order to examine new information provided by the authorities. To do this the Committee met with Mr. Krasovksy's wife, who resides in the USA, to get her side of the story. It also met with Special Rapporteur Pourgourides. From the discussions, the Committee concluded that the authorities have yet to clarify a number of key questions raised by Mr. Pourgourides in his original report. It therefore requested them to provide the concrete results of the investigation on each of these points.

The Committee also heard the preliminary oral report of its delegation that travelled to Ecuador in June 2007 in connection with the dismissal of more than half of the members of the Ecuadorian Congress by the country's Supreme Electoral Court. In view of the report, the Committee remained concerned that the dismissal was highly questionable from a constitutional point of view. The delegation will present its detailed conclusions and recommendations to the authorities in a written report and request their comments.

These cases, together with some 30 other public files under its procedure, will again be examined by the Committee in October, when it will also suggest to the full IPU membership what course of action to follow in order to advance a satisfactory settlement of each of them.

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