The Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians of the Inter-Parliamentary Union examined 30 public cases concerning 112 parliamentarians in Bangladesh, Belarus, Burundi, Cambodia, Colombia, Ecuador, Eritrea, Honduras, Palestine/Israel, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Zimbabwe.

The Committee, chaired by Mr. Franklin M. Drilon, President of the Senate of the Philippines, ended its 114th session today. The other parliamentarians present in Geneva were: Mrs. Sharon Carstairs (Canada), Vice-President of the Committee, Mr. Fernando Margaín (Mexico), Mrs. Zahia Benarous (Algeria), and Mrs. Marie-José Laloy (Belgium).

It examined, inter alia, the case of Shah Ams Kibria from Bangladesh, a former finance minister, who was killed on 27 January 2005 in a grenade attack. The Committee is very concerned that the investigation was closed although the masterminds of the murder have not been identified as the investigating authorities omitted to examine essential questions. Likewise, it is deeply concerned that the investigation into a grenade attack perpetrated in August 2004 on the leader of the opposition in Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, which left her injured, killed 25 people and left hundreds maimed for life, has so far not yielded any results. The Committee strongly recalls the duty of States to identify and bring to justice those responsible for criminal acts.

The IPU Committee also continued to examine the situation of 11 former parliamentarians in Eritrea, who have been held in incommunicado detention since September 2001 on accusations of conspiracy and attempting to overthrow the government. It affirms that their human rights are being grossly violated and urges the authorities to release them immediately.

Established in 1976, the Committee meets in camera four times a year to ensure that the human rights of the world's parliamentary community - composed of more than 40'000 members - are respected. It has contributed to the settlement of a large number of the 500 cases in 104 countries that it has examined since its creation.

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Established in 1889 and with its Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the IPU, the oldest multilateral political organisation, currently brings together 146 affiliated parliaments and seven regional assemblies as associate members. The world organisation of parliaments has an Office in New York, which acts as its Permanent Observer at the United Nations.
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Contact for additional information or interviews:

Mrs. Luisa Ballin, IPU Information Officer 5, ch. du Pommier, CH - 1218 Le Grand-Saconnex / Geneva Phone: +41 22 919 41 16 Fax: +41 22 919 41 60 E-mail: lb@mail.ipu.org or cbl@mail.ipu.org Mrs. Ingeborg Schwarz, Secretary of the IPU Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians Phone: +41 22 919 41 42 E-mail: is@mail.ipu.org Mr. Rogier Huizenga, Programme Officer Phone: +41 22 919 41 24 E-mail: rh@mail.ipu.org