PLACE DU PETIT-SACONNEX
1211 GENEVA 19
| INTER-PARLIAMENTARY UNION PLACE DU PETIT-SACONNEX 1211 GENEVA 19 |
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Press release of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
The Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) will hold its 84th session at the IPU Headquarters in Geneva from 1 to 4 February 1999. Created in 1976, the Committee, which meets in camera, is composed of five members elected by their respective parliaments. The meeting will be attended by Mr François Autain (France, acting President), Mr François Borel (Switzerland), Mr Hilarion Etong (Cameroon) and Mr Juan Pablo Letelier (Chile), as well as Mr Mahinda Samarasinghe (Sri Lanka, substitute member). The Committee meets four times a year. It can hold hearings and propose on-site missions. Acting as an intermediary between the plaintiffs and the authorities of the countries concerned, the Committee works to put an end rapidly to any arbitrary measure affecting members of parliament, to ensure their protection and, where appropriate, to obtain redress. At its 84th session, it will examine public and confidential cases concerning 185 parliamentarians from 31 countries. There are currently 179 parliaments in the world, comprising 41,292 MPs. The agenda of the Geneva meeting will include the election of the President and Vice-President of the Committee, the consideration of the report prepared by the IPU Secretary General - Mr Anders B. Johnsson, the follow-up of the public and confidential cases submitted to the Committee and the reports of the missions undertaken by the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians in Chad and Malaysia to further enquire into the complaints concerning Mr Ngarleji Yorongar and Mr Lin Guan Eng, two MPs who are still in prison. The Committee will end its work on Thursday evening, after having adopted its report.
at the Palais des Nations in Geneva (Geneva Press Room N°1). The speakers will be Mr Anders B. Johnsson (IPU Secretary General), Mr François Borel (Switzerland) and Mr Juan Pablo Letelier (Chile)
The Inter-Parliamentary Union, the world organisation of parliaments, has currently 136 member parliaments and 4 associate members. Media representatives may get in touch with Ms Luisa Ballin, IPU Information Officer, tel. (41 22) 919.41.16 and 919.41.27, fax (41 22) 733 31 41 and 919.41.60, e-mail: lb@mail.ipu.org and cd@mail.ipu.org. The IPU also has a Liaison Office with the UN in New York: tel. (1 212) 557 58 80, fax (1 212) 557 39 54, e-mail: ny-office@mail.ipu.org
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