The Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), chaired by Canadian Senator Sharon Carstairs, is holding its 120th session from today until 17 January 2008, at IPU Headquarters, The House of Parliaments. The Committee will examine 34 public cases concerning 200 legislators in: Bangladesh, Belarus, Burundi, Cambodia, Colombia, Ecuador, Eritrea, Honduras, Israel/Palestine, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Zimbabwe.
The Committee welcomes the release of both Ms. Consuelo Gonzalez de Perdomo, a case before the Committee since 2002, a member of the Colombian National Congress, who was kidnapped by the FARC guerrilla group on 10 September 2001 and held hostage since then, and Ms. Clara Rojas, assistant to former senator and presidential candidate, Ms. Ingrid Betancourt.
Among the parliamentarians still held captive by the FARC together with Ms. Betancourt are the following five members of the Colombian Parliament: Mr. Oscar Lizcano (kidnapped in August 2000), Mr. Jorge Eduardo Gechen Turbay (kidnapped in February 2002), Mr. Luis Eladio Perez Bonilla (kidnapped in June 2001), Mr. Orlando Beltran Cuellar (kidnapped in August 2001) and Ms. Gloria Polanco de Lozada (kidnapped in July 2001).
In addition to the Chair, the Committee members participating in the session are: Ms. Rosario Green (Senator, Mexico, and Vice-President of the Committee), Ms. Zahia Benarous (Senator, Algeria), Mr. Aquilino Q. Pimentel (Senator, Philippines), Mr. Philippe Mahoux (Senator, Belgium) and Mr. Kazem Jalali (Deputy, Islamic Republic of Iran, Substitute Member).
The Committee will also continue its work in favour of the parliamentarians-elect in Myanmar, who are still in prison or are otherwise being harassed.
A press conference will be held on Thursday, 17 January at 1.30 p.m. in room III, at the Palais des Nations (Geneva), in the presence of the President, Vice-President, and other Committee members
Other press releases