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Press release of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
Geneva, 5 February 1999
N° 72


42 CASES CONCERNING 311 MPs IN 31 COUNTRIES EXAMINED BY THE COMMITTEE ON THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF PARLIAMENTARIANS

The Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), which just ended its 84th session at IPU Headquarters in Geneva with Mr. François Autain (France) in the Chair, studied 42 cases involving allegations of violations of the human rights of 311 MPs in 31 countries. Among these 42 cases, 18 are being examined in a public procedure concerning 247 parliamentarians, and 24 are confidential cases affecting 64 MPs.

With regard to public cases, the Committee examined complaints from qualified sources, as well as information from the authorities concerning cases in Argentina, Burundi, Cambodia, Chad, Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Gambia, Honduras, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nigeria, Togo and Turkey, as well as the reports of missions carried out in November and December 1998 in Chad and in Malaysia with a view to investigating complaints concerning violations of the rights of Mr. Ngarleji Yorongar and Mr. Lim Guan Eng, two MPs for whose release from prison the IPU is calling for.

A press conference will be held this Friday, 5 February 1999 at 11.30 a.m. at the Geneva Palais des Nations (Press Room No. 1 "Genevoise").

The participants will be Mr. Hilarion Etong (Cameroon, elected Committee Vice-President on 1 February 1999), as well as Mr. François Borel (Switzerland, a member of the delegation that travelled to Chad) and Mr. Juan Pablo Letelier (Chile), both Members of the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians, and Mr. Anders B. Johnsson, Secretary General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

The Inter-Parliamentary Union, the world organisation of parliaments created in 1889, currently has 136 Member Parliaments (out of the 179 in existence) and 4 Associate Members. At present, the number of MPs in the world is 41,292.

For any additional information, media representatives may get in touch with Ms Luisa Ballin, IPU Information Officer, as follows: tel. (004122) 919.41.16 and 919.41.27, 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) 5575880, fax (1.212) 5573954, e-mail: ny-office@mail.ipu.org.

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