PARLIAMENTS ALL OVER THE WORLD TO PRESS MORE INSISTENTLY FOR THE RESPECT OF DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS IN MYANMAR
The Governing Council of the Inter-Parliaments Union (IPU), meeting today at the 112th IPU Assembly in Manila, has taken a number of decisions on the work of the world’s organization of national parliaments. Noteworthy among these was the adoption of the report of the IPU Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians, with a special mention to Myanmar. "Unfortunately, the situation in Myanmar has hardly improved. On the contrary, several parliamentarians-elect were rearrested or are being kept in detention although they have already served their sentences", it stressed.
The Committee added that some of them are in very bad health. Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi remains under house arrest, "and there is no sign that the military regime has any intention of engaging in a dialogue with the National League for Democracy and other democratic forces. The National Convention, which the military regime convened instead of the parliament elected in 1990, is far from being a democratically constituted and democratically operating body".
The Committee has always considered it important that member parliaments take initiatives in favour of democracy in Myanmar, and it has therefore requested the IPU Secretariat to compile information on any such initiatives. "We hope that the compilation will prompt parliaments all over the world to press more insistently for the respect of democracy and human rights in Myanmar", it concluded.
During its session in Manila, the Committee examined 57 cases in 31 countries and held 17 meetings with delegations. The resolutions submitted concern the cases of 123 parliamentarians in 17 countries all over the world (Belarus, Burundi, Cambodia, Colombia, Ecuador, Eritrea, Honduras, Indonesia, Israel/Palestine, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Syrian Arab Republic, Rwanda, Turkey and Zimbabwe).
IRAQ
The IPU welcomes the announcement that a Speaker has been chosen for the Transitional National Assembly and a President and two Vice-Presidents elected for the country, and hopes that the appointment of a government will be duly expedited. It expresses solidarity with the Iraqi people and "condemns the violence and targeted assassinations affecting so many people in society, especially women, and including political, trade union and other leaders, and humanitarian workers".
SECOND WORLD CONFERENCE OF SPEAKERS OF PARLIAMENTS
The IPU will organize the Second World Conference of Speakers of Parliaments in New York, in the United Nations General Assembly Hall, from 7 to 9 September 2005. More than 150 Presiding Officers of Parliaments are expected to attend this event, which is due to be open by the Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr. Kofi Annan.
Established in 1889 and with its Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the IPU, the oldest multilateral political organisation, currently brings together 141 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.
|
 Other press releases |
More information |
| Contact for additional information or interviews: |
In Geneva: Mrs. Luisa Ballin, IPU Information Officer
PICC Manila
Tel. +63 2 832 1386
Fax +63 2 831 4539
E-mail: lb@mail.ipu.org or cbl@mail.ipu.org
Philippines Group: Press service of the 112th Assembly:
Mr. Raymondo Corro, Public Relations and Information Bureau of the Philippines Senate
Tel. +63 2 552 6723
Fax +63 2 552 6755
E-mail: raycorro@hotmail.com
|
|
