Press release of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
Geneva, 22 January 2001
N° 109

Mr. Juan Pablo Letelier, an MP of Chile, was elected to chair the IPU Committee on the Human rights of Parliamentarians this morning. "As a Chilean, it is an honour for me to chair the Committee at this significant time in our history. I am well aware of the Committee's commitment to parliamentarians whose human rights are breached and my aim is to make its work even more visible" said Mr. Letelier.

Born in 1961, Jean Pablo Letelier, son of the former foreign minister to the Salvador Allende government, who was assassinated in Washington in 1976, is an economist by training and a member of the central committee of the Chilean Socialist party.

At its 92nd session, which opened today at IPU Headquarters in Geneva, the committee also elected the Sri-Lankan MP, Mr. Mahinda Samarasinghe, as Vice-President. Born in 1956, M. Samarasinghe, also an economist, is the deputy parliamentary whip of the opposition UNP. "I will be striving to reinforce the work of the Committee, especially in relation to on-site missions" said Mr. Samarasinghe "I hope that we will be able to visit a number of countries, including Myanmar, as it is a very important case for the Committee".

Established in 1976, the IPU Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians, which meets four times a year in camera, is composed of five parliamentarians from different regions: Mr. Juan Pablo Letelier (Chile, President), Mr. Mahinda Samarasinghe (Sri Lanka, Vice-President) Mr. François Autain (France), Mr. Hilarion Etong (Cameroon), and Mrs. Maria Grazia Daniele Galdi (Italy).

At its 92nd session (which will continue until Thursday 25 January 2001), the Committee will review allegations of human rights violations concerning 202 parliamentarians in 31 countries and, in particular, will discuss developments in the case of Mr Alpha Condé, former presidential candidate of Guinea. The five members of the Committee will also examine, apart from the confidential cases, 20 public cases concerning 132 parliamentarians in Argentina, Belarus, Burundi, Cambodia, Colombia, Djibouti, Ecuador, Gambia, Guinea, Honduras, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Republic of Moldova, Sri Lanka and Turkey. The report on those cases is available.

Acting as an intermediary between complainants and the authorities of the countries concerned, the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians endeavours to put an end as rapidly as possible to any arbitrary measure affecting MPs, to ensure their protection and, where appropriate, to obtain compensation. At present, there are a total of 179 parliaments and some 40,428 parliamentarians worldwide.

Founded in 1889 and based in Geneva, the IPU is the organisation of the world’s parliaments. It currently has 140 member national parliaments and five regional parliamentary organisations with associate member status. It also has a Liaison Bureau with the UN in New York.