Mr. Juan Pablo Letelier, an MP of Chile, was re-elected this morning to chair the IPU Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians. Born in 1961, Juan Pablo Letelier is an economist by training and a member of the Central Committee of the Chilean Socialist Party.

"The Committee will always defend MPs' rights and liberties, without distinction as to race, gender or political affiliation. This is the main reason for our work, because if limits are placed on parliamentarians' freedom of speech, the citizens they represent will be left defenceless. From this point of view, Colombia's situation is no doubt the most alarming. During the present session, the Committee will be endorsing an on-site mission to Colombia", explained Juan Pablo Letelier.

At its 96th session, which opened today at IPU Headquarters in Geneva, the Committee also re-elected the Sri Lankan MP and Minister of Labour and Employment, Mr. Mahinda Samarasinghe, as Vice-President. Born in 1956, Mr. Samarasinghe, also an economist, is the Chief Government whip of the Parliament of Sri Lanka. Commenting on the work of the IPU Committee, Mr. Samarasinghe said "The Committee's work is extremely important and has resulted in many instances of human rights violations being identified and influencing remedial measures to be taken on behalf of parliamentarians. I hope that we will be able to visit a number of countries, including Myanmar, which 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), Mrs. Ann Clwyd (United Kingdom), Mr. Mahamane Ousmane (Niger) and Mrs. Veronika Nedvedova (Czech Republic).

At its 96th session (which will continue until Thursday, 17 January 2002) the Committee will examine allegations of violations of human rights affecting MPs in 34 countries, including public cases in the following: Belarus, Burundi, Cambodia, Colombia, Djibouti, Ecuador, Gambia, Guinea, Honduras, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Turkey. The public report of the Committee is available upon request.

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 40,000 parliamentarians worldwide.

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Established in 1889 and with its Headquarters in Geneva, the IPU, the oldest multilateral organisation, currently has 142 affiliated national parliaments and five regional assemblies as associate members. The organisation of the world's parliaments also has a Liaison Office with the United Nations in New York.
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CONTACT FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR INTERVIEWS

Mrs. Luisa Ballin, IPU Information Officer Tel. +4122 919 41 16/27 Fax: +4122 919 41 60, 919 41 97 E-mail: lb@mail.ipu.org or cbl@mail.ipu.org