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

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@mail.ipu.org or cd@mail.ipu.org, (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@mail.ipu.org