Amnesty InternationalJuly 1977 Volume VII Number 7 newsletter

AI Condemns Killing in Argentina

1977 Prisoners of

Conscience Year

be as high as 17,000 while even seniorgovernment officials have admitted unoffici-ally that, in the past 14 months, the author-ities have received more than 2,000 inquiriesfrom friends or relatives of missing persons.The discrepancy between these two figuresis due to the fact that relatives either fearreprisals if they report disappearances, orelse believe that reporting is useless. From atotal of 600 people whose disappearancesince the coup has been firmly established byAl , no more than 23 have been definitelyreleased.

While A/ deplores the continuing leftwingviolence in Argentina, it does not accept thatthe situation justifies the persistent violationof human rights and constitutional freedomsby law enforcing bodies. AI does not believethat a sovereign state can establish securityin an atmosphere of terror or reinstate lawand order by arbitrary and illegal acts0

Al appealed in May to every signatory stateof the Helsinki Final Act to work for fullimplementation of the document's pledges onthe rights of conscience.

Writing on 30 May to the heads of statesparticipating in the Conference on Securityand Cooperation in Europe, ThomasHAMMARBERG, chairman of Ars Inter-national Executive Committee, said that

"principle 7 of the Final Act on the relationsbetween participating states could be seen as 'recognition that imprisonment for exerciseof the rights of conscience is incompatiblewith the norms of government of the statesof Europe".

In principle 7 participating states under-take "to recognize and respect the freedomof the individual to profess and practice,alone or in community with others, religionor belief acting in accordance with thedictates of his own conscience", and topromote "the effective exercise of civil,political, economic, social, cultural andother rights and freedoms...."

"STANDARD MINIMUM RULES"EXTENDEDThe United Nations Standard MinimumRules for the Treatment of Prisoners havejust been strengthened by the 62nd sessionof the Economic and Social Council(ECOSOC). On 13 May the council decidedto extend the range of application of therules to give basically the same protectionto persons arrested or imprisoned withoutcharge as that given to other prisoners bythe rules.

This has been achieved by adding a newRule 95, on the recommendation of theCommittee on Crime Prevention and Controland the Commission for Social Development.AI had made a proposal to this effect at thetime of the Fifth UN Congress on the Pre-vention of Crime and the Treatment ofOffenders in 1975.

In a related development, ECOSOC hasalso submitted the Draft Code of Conductfor Law Enforcement Officials to the UNGeneral Assembly. The draft had been drawnup by the Committee on Crime Preventionand Control at its 1976 session, in whichAl was represented as an observer. Theassembly will consider adoption of the codeat its 32nd session this autumnEl

Al told the heads of state that acceptanceof this principle could serve as a first steptowards the eventual development ofmechanisms and detailed standards forrespecting human rights which would applyto the whole of Europe. Al hopes that aEurope-wide version of the StrasbourgHuman Rights Convention, Commission andCourt could ultimately be developed.

Al's letter pointed out that violations ofprinciple 7 have continued in many states ofEurope, and that domestic legislation punish-ing some forms of exercise of the rights ofconscience by imprisonment has in mostcases not been repealed or amended sincethe Final Act was signed in 1975.

Al called on all signatory states to bringtheir domestic practice and legislation intoline with their undertakings in the Final Act.At the same time, Al expressed the hope thatthe violations of those undertakings whichhave occurred would stimulate rather thanimpede continuing discussion and develop-ment of the Final Act's human rightsprovisions0

The death of a German woman in "unofficial" custody in Argentina was con-demned by AI in a cable to President Jorge VP1ELA of Argentina on 15 June.Elizabeth KASEMANN, a 29-year-old citizen of the Federal Ilepublic ofGermany was shot by the military in Monte Grande, a town 17 miles from theArgentine capital Buenos Aires, on 23 May, three months after her detentionby security forces.

AI has firm information that MissKasemann had been held since 9 Marchin an unofficial detention center whereshe was subjected to torture. Despitehigh level interventions by the FederalGerman Foreign Office, there was noindication of Miss Kasemann's where-abouts until 1 June, when an armedforces communique announced that, aweek earlier, "16 leftwing guerrillashad been killed during an army raid inMonte Grande". The only name givenwas that of "Isabel Kasemann, aforeign national".

In its cable to President Videla, Al askedthe Argentine government to explain howElizabeth Kasemann came to be shot whilein the "unofficial" custody of Argentinesecurity forces. Al also called on the govern-ment to release the names of the other 15people reportedly killed at the same time.During that week almost 50 persons reported-ly died in similar anti-subversive operations.Al appealed to the authorities to "halt thecurrent practice of unacknowledged deten-tions, torture and killings of hundreds ofindividuals in Argentina".

Among cases recently reported to Al area number of foreign visitors to Argentinawho appear to have no immunity againstthis form of attack. Klaus ZIESCHANK isone of 11 West German nationals who havedisappeared since the 1976 Argentine coup.A German student visiting his parents inArgentina, Mr Zieschank was abducted inBuenos Aires on 26 March 1976. InNovember that year, the Chilean authoritiesinformed the Federal German embassy inSantiago that Klaus Zieschank may havebeen among a number of people killed inJuly or August in a car accident near theborder between Argentina and Chile.

Al has also recently learnt of thedisappearance of Swiss citizen AlexeiJACCARD-SIEGLER, on 16 May, one dayafter his arrival in Buenos Aires to visitfriends.

The exact number of persons k.lown tohave been abducted by the Argentine securityforces since the coup is not easily ascertained.Church sources suggest that the figure may

Al URGES HELSINKI FINAL ACT SIGNATORIES TO IMPLEMENT RIGHTS OF CONSCIENCE PROVISIONS

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Al INTRODUCES POC YEARIN MIDDLE EASTMumtaz SOYSAL, vice-chairman of Al'sInternational Executive Committee andProfessor of Constitutional Law at AnkaraUniversity, Turkey, and June RAY fromAl's research department, visited Egyptfrom 3-15 May to introduce the organizationand its Prisoners of Conscience Year camp-aign to the Middle East. A second objectiveof the mission was to discuss with Egyptiangovernment officials the problem of thosedetained since the January 1977 demonstra-tions, as well as detention and trial proce-dures generally in Egypt.

The delegates discussed with Minister ofJustice Ahmad Samih TALAAT and Prosec-utor General Ibrahim AL QALYOUBI thecases of those detained of concern to Al(March Newsletter). The delegates wereassured that all those not involved in acts ofsabotage had full legal rights, including theright to appeal in open court for releasefrom custody every 30 days after arrest. Thecourt's decision is confirmed or vetoed bythe President within 15 days, the delegateswere told.

Al's delegates later attended one suchcourt hearing (where three students appealedunsuccessfully for release) and visited twolawyers in Abu Zaabal prison where 95people, arrested during the Januarydemonstrations, were held. Of these 95, 49had allegedly been involved in acts ofsabotage, while 46 were "political" detainees.The delegates were unable to visit a studentin the Citadel prison.

AI believes that about 200 people are stilldetained in Egypt for membership of illegalpolitical organizations or for allegedlyinstigating the riots.

On 12 May, the delegates held a pressconference in Cairo to launch Prisoners ofConscience Year in the Middle East.Arranged with the cooperation of theEgyptian Ministry of Information, the con-ference was supported by the Union of ArabLawyers and held at their headquarters. Itwas attended by 20 Middle Eastern journal-ists and the delegates were interviewedby Radio Cairo, and by the Egyptiannewspapers Al Ahram and Al Gumhuriya.

The delegates also introduced Al anddiscussed future cooperation with suchorganizations as the Egyptian Bar Associationthe Afro-Asian People's Solidarity Organiza-tion, the International Confederation of ArabTrade Unions and the Union of ArabJournalists.

Other meetings were held to explore thepossibilities of forming an Al nationalsection or adoption group in Egypt0

NEW DEATH SENTENCESREPORTED IN CHINAEight young men were reportedly sentencedto death in Shenyang, Liaoning province, inthe People's Republic of China in May.Travellers to the city who saw an official

notice announcing the sentences havereported that the execution of one of theeight, convicted of unspecified crimes, willbe suspended for two years. A ninth offend-er was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Among those sentenced to death was a24-year-old man reportedly accused offounding a political movement called the"China revolutionary party", of listening toforeign radio broadcasts and of attemptingto reach the Soviet border. The others facedvarious charges, including theft, murder andrape. It was also reported that one of thenine men was accused of keeping a"revisionist" diary and of writing "counter-revolutionary" poems and slogans.

Al cabled Chairman HUA Guo-feng on25 May expressing deep concern at thesereports and urging again that death sentencesbe commuted.

About 100 death sentences have beenreported in various provincial cities during1977. They concerned political as well ascriminal cases, and some were followed byimmediate execution (May Newsletter)E1

COMMONWEALTH CONDEMNSAMIN REGIMEThe Commonwealth heads of governmentmeeting in London in June condemned theUganda military regime for its denial of basichuman rights.

In the conference's final communiquéon 15 June the Commonwealth leadersstated, "Cognizant of the accumulatedevidence of sustained disregard for thesanctity of life and of massive violation ofbasic human rights in Uganda, it was the over-whelming view of Commonwealth leadersthat these excesses were so gross as to warrantthe world's concern and to evoke condemna-tion by Heads of Government in strong andunequivocal terms".

Prime Minister Michael MANLEY ofJamaica called the Uganda regime "a shameto all mankind".•Jurists Report on Uganda: On 18 May theInternational Commission of Jurists publishedthe reports on human rights violations inUganda which it submitted to the UnitedNations from 1974 to 1976. Copies of thepublication, Uganda and Human Rights,can be obtained from the ICJ, PO Box 120,1224 Geneva. Price US $6.000

1977 ANNUAL REPORTPUBLISHED IN DECEMBERAl's Annual Report 1977 will be publishedon 10 December—Human Rights Day.

The Annual Report has previously beenpublished to coincide with Al's annualInternational Council meetings. But thisyear Al's International Executive Committee(IEC) has agreed to undertake an experiment.An internal "Annual Report" will be prepar-ed by the International Secretariat and theIEC for discussion by Al delegates at this

year's International Council. This documentwill relate to the work of the IEC and the ISand will discuss the general problems andactivities in much greater detail than ispossible in the public, printed Annual Report.

The new presentation will also provide an opportunity of including a more detailed account of the work of the national sections.

The public document will concentrate ona survey of Al concerns, including thecountry-by-country report of the IS ResearchDepartment which is normally included inAnnual Reports0

Al PROTESTS AT SUMMARY EXECUTIONS IN THAILANDOn 16 June, AI cabled Prime MinisterTHANIN Kraivichien of Thailand to expressits profound regret at the summary executionwithout trial of three men on 14 June.

The three men were executed by firingsquad for their alleied involvement in thedeath of 28 people by Cambodian troopsat three Thai border villages on 28 January.

Al urged Mr Thanin to discontinue thepractice of sentencing people to death with-out trial, which it described as a gross viola-tion of the Universal Declaration of HumanRights and a complete denial of due process,which as a former judge, Mr Thanin shoulduphold. AI also stressed that it was opposedto the application of the death penalty in allcases0

Al ATTENDS SOUTHERNAFRICAN CONFERENCEMalcolm SMART, head of the Africanresearch section at Al's InternationalSecretariat, attended an International Con-ference in Support of the Peoples ofZimbabwe and Namibia in Mozambiquefrom 16-21 May. Participating in the UnitedNations-sponsored conference wereformerA/-adopted prisoner Robert MUGABE, nowone of the joint leaders of the PatrioticFront of Zimbabwe (Rhodesia), and SamNUJOMA, President of the South WestAfrica People's Organization (SWAPO).

The conference also heard speeches onsouthern Africa from Mozambique PresidentSamora MACHEL, Jamaican Prime MinisterMichael MANLEY, British deputy ForeignMinister Ted ROWLANDS and United StatesAmbassador to the United Nations AndrewYOUNG0

•DEATH SENTENCE IN JORDANMAY BE COMMUTEDOn 16 May Al urged King HUSSEIN ofJordan to commute a reported deathsentence passed on Mohammed MahoudHassan AL MOMANY for spying. A replyfrom the king's secretary on 26 May statedthat the sentence had not as yet been con-firmed and there was a possibility that itmight be commuted0 ;

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Victor NKANDI—NamibiaVictor NKANDI is a leading member of theSouth West Africa People's Organization(SWAPO), which opposes continued SouthAfrican rule in Namibia.

He was first arrested in August 1975after the assassination of Chief FilemonElifas, Chief Minister of the Ovamboland"bantustan". Mr Nkandi was held incom-municado and without charge until March1976, when he was called as a prosecutionwitness at the trial of six other SWAPOsupporters charged under the TerrorismAct. He and another detainee, AxelJohannes (June 1976 Prisoners of the Month),refused to testify, alleging that they hadbeen tortured during interrogation bySouth African security police. As a result,both men were sentenced to one year'simprisonment for contempt of court.

Mr Nkandi was due to be released fromWindhoek Prison on 28 February this year.However, on that day he and Axel Johanneswere re-detained by security police andtransferred to their main interrogationcenter as Oshakati, in northern Namibia.Former detainees who saw the two men atOshakati report that they have both beenseriously ill-treated and are in poor physicalcondition.

Victor Nkandi has not been chargedwith any offence although he has been inprison continuously since August 1975. Heis in his mid-twenties, and married withone child, now two years old.

Please send courteously-worded lettersappealing for the release of Victor Nkandi,to: Hon. J. T. Kruger, Minister of Justice,Union Buildings, Pretoria, South Africa.

Mohammad Ibrahim MUNSHI —PakistanMohammad Ibrahim MUNSHI, a poet fromPakistan's Sind province, was arrested inOctober 1975 for reciting poems critical ofthe government at a private house. He is atpresent awaiting trial before a specialtribunal for committing a "pre-judicial act".

Mr Munshi's poetry has attracted greatinterest, particularly among students andpeasants in the Sind, Pakistan's southern-most province. When Pakistan's firstgeneral election was held in 1970, Mr Munshiand many other Sindhis supported thewinning Pakistan People's Party (PPP). MrMunshi's disillusion after the PPP formed agovernment led to his writing a number ofoften satirical poems critical of the partyand its leader.

He was first arrested in February 1972and charged under martial law regulationsfor reading satirical poems. In April 1972

he was convicted by military court andsentenced to 6 months' imprisonment.

He was again arrested in January 1974for publicly reciting his poems in Karachi onthe anniversary of the birth of G.M. Sayed, aveteran Sindhi nationalist leader. He wasdetained under the Defence of PakistanRules, but was never brought before amagistrate. He was granted bail on 1 October,but this was cancelled after ten days whenhe was again arrested. He was then releasedtwo weeks later.

His latest arrest followed a private partyin the Tatta District of Sind, which heattended early in October 1975. He wasasked to read some of his poems and,though reluctant, was persuaded to recite thevery poem for which he had been imprisonedbefore. The poem was recorded without hisknowledge, and on 13 October he wasarrested neai his home in Hyderabad district.He was detained for three days in a policestation, without charge or access to relativesor a lawyer, before he was taken to Tattatown and charged under the Defence ofPakistan Rules with "committing a pre-judicial act".

His case is now pending before the SpecialTribunal for Sind and Baluchistan and heis believed to be detained in Karachi CentralJail.

Please send courteously-worded lettersappealing for the release of MohammadIbrahim Munshi, to.. His ExcellencyZulfiqar Ali Bhutto, Prime Minister ofPakistan, Office of the Prime Minister,Islamabad, Pakistan.

Heinrich Davydovich REIMER—Soviet UnionHeinrich Davydovich REIMER, a Sovietcitizen of German descent, is currently serv-ing a sentence of 3 years' imprisonment foradvocating the right of Soviet Germans toemigrate from the Soviet Union and fororganizing their efforts to emigrate.

Born in 1932, Mr Reimer is the widowedfather of three children. Like many otherGerman-origin Soviet citizens, he has beendenied official permission to emigrate from theUSSR. Since 1972 he has been active inissuing appeals to foreign governments(particularly that of the Federal Republic ofGermany) and international organizations.

In June 1976 he was arrested at his homein Issyk in the central Asian KazakhstanSoviet Socialist Republic. He was subsequent-ly charged with "dissemination of fabricationsknown to be false which defame the Sovietstate and social system", a charge frequentlymade against dissenters in the USSR.

Mr Reimer was tried in September 1976

on charges of preparing, sending and circulat-ing a number of appeals to Soviet and foreignleaders which the Soviet authorities allegedcontained "slanderous falsehoods" about thecircumstances of Soviet citizens of Germandescent, and of preparing lists of such citizenswho wished to emigrate. But the court didnot prove that any statements made by MrReimer were false.

Mr Reimer was judged guilty and is serv-ing his 3-year sentence in a Kazakhstancorrective labour colony.

Please send courteously-worded lettersappealing for the release of HeinrichDavydovich Reimer, to Mr A D Kunayev,First Secretary of the Kazakh CommunistParty: SSSR, Kazakhskaya SSR, g. Alma-Ata, Tsentralny Komitet KP KazakhskoySSR, Pervomu Sekretaryu A D Kunayevu.

FORMER MALI HEADOF STATE DIESModibo KEITA, the former Mali head ofstate who had been deposed by ColonelMoussa TRAORE in 1968, died on 16 May.Mr Keita had apparently been in poorhealth for some time and cause of death issaid to be lung disease.

Mr Keita, his wife Miriam and severalof his former supporters had been detainedwithout charge or trial since 1968. Theywere adopted as Al prisoners of consciencein 1973 and repeated appeals were madefor their release. Despite a promise ofclemency first made by President Traore in1974 and repeated in February this year,Mr Keita was not released. He was subsequent-ly transferred from prison to house arrestin Bamako, where he died.

All Al groups working on Mali havewritten to the Minister of the Interior inMali enclosing letters of condolence forMme Keita, who is still detained0

CHILE ATTEMPTS TO DENYDISAPPEARANCESThe apparent decline in repression in Chileduring the first four months of 1977 endedin May with a new wave of arrests and thedisappearance of many of those arrested.

In the following weeks, most of thevictims reappeared. Some were released andothers were charged. Al has received testi-mony of the tortures suffered by two ofthe released victims.

Two other reappeared persons, CarlosDEL SOLAR and Jorge SALAZAR, madepublic statements that they had neverdisappeared and that their names had beenused as a "show" to discredit the govern-ment.

National and international institutionshave asked for clarification on why theirfamilies announced their supposed "dis-appearance" originally.

Continuing arbitrary arrest, torture andmurder of Chilean citizens by the rulingjunta were denounced in May by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. InContinued on page 4, column 1.

Prisoners of the Month CampaignParticipants in the campaign are reminded that appeals must only be sent to the officialsnamed at the end of each case. In no circumstances should communications be sent tothe prisoner. It is important for the prisoner that messages to the authorities are wordedcarefully and courteously and that they are never sectarian.

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Chile Attempts to Deny DisappearancesContinued from page 3, column 3.its third report on Chile, the commissioncharged the government with violating itsown decrees and regulations providing forthe protection of human rights.

Observers believe that the two "staged"cases may have been planned to coincidewith the June meeting of the Organizationof American States, where the OASCommission on Human Rights' reportwill be presented, to support the govern-ment's denial that more than 1,500prisoners have disappeared0

BUDDHIST LEADERS 'ARRESTEDIN VIETNAM'Reports of the arrests of Buddhists in theSocialist Republic of Vietnam were receivedin April. Most reports gave no details ofthose arrested but stressed that tensionsbetween members of the Unified BuddhistChurch of Vietnam and the authorities hadincreased recently.

One source, however, reported the arrest of five leaders of the Unified Bud-dhist Church on 5/6 April at the An QuangPagoda in Ho Chi Minh city. The leadersmentioned are Thich Quang Do, ThichHuyen Quang, Thich Thuyen An, ThichThong Hue and Thich Tong Buu. The AnQuang Pagoda had been famous duringthe war as a center of opposition to theSaigon government and its members havemaintained an independant position vis-A-visthe new government of Vietnam.

Some time before the reported arrests,one of the five leaders was said to havelaunched an appeal to members of thechurch "to be ready for sacrifice to pre-serve dignity and doctrine".

Al wrote to President Ton Duc Thang on11 May, expressing deep concern at thesereports and urging that those detained bereleased pending an inquiryl=I

EXECUTIONS AND DEATH SENTENCESREPORTED IN SYRIAAl wrote to President Hafez ASSAD ofSyria on 5 May asking for verification ofthe reported execution by firing squad offour men on 24 April. They had been arrest-ed in Lebanon following the killing of twomembers of the Syrian armed forces outsideBeirut.

On 20 May, Al asked Syrian Minister ofJustice Adib NAHAWI to verify a reportthat a Palestinian convicted of murder hadbeen hung in Damascus on 24 March.

Al again wrote to President Assad on 8June asking for information about sixfurther death sentences reportedly passedon counts of sabotage on 2 JuneD

SEAN MacBRIDE AWARDEDLENIN PEACE PRIZESean MacBRIDE was awarded the LeninPeace Prize in May. Chairman of Al'sInternational Executive Committee for thefirst 14 years of Al's existence, Mr MacBride

received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1974.Such recognition of Sean MacBride's

contribution to world peace and humanrights is unique:I

APPEAL COURT UPHOLDS DEATHSENTENCES ON MALAWI OFFICIALSMalawi's National Traditional Court ofAppeal upheld the judgement and sentencesof death imposed on former cabinet ministerAlbert MUWALO and Focus GWEDE, formerchief of Malawi's security police, on 21April. Both men had lodged appeals afterbeing sentenced to death on treason chargesby the Southern Region Traditional Courton 14 February. They are alleged to haveplotted the assassination of PresidentHastings Kamuzu BANDA and the overthrowof the Malawi government.

Al had urged President Banda on 15February to commute the death sentences(March Newsletter)O

Amnesty International requires

Researcher for the Middle East depart-ment. To investigate human rightssituations and individual cases in theMiddle East.and North Africa. Workinvolves preparing prisoner biographies,background reports, briefing missionsand formulating policy.

Principle requirements: specialistknowledge of the area, its history andpolitics; background in relatedacademic studies; objective politicaljudgement. Fluent English and goodworking knowledge of Arabic andFrench essential.

Salary £4113 per annum. Closing date22 July, 1977. Position will be basedin London.

Application forms are available from:Amnesty International, 10Southampton Street, London WC2E 7I1F,England. Telephone: 01 836 7788.

INTERNATIONAL EXECUTIVE TODISCUSS NEXT COUNCIL MEETINGPractical arrangements for Al's InternationalCouncil, to be held at Bad Honnef, FederalRepublic of Germany, 16-18 September,will be discussed by the InternationalExecutive Committee (sEC) at its Julymeeting in London.

The IEC will formulate resolutions andplan discussion papers for the councilmeeting0

NAMIBIAN PRISONER EXECUTEDDESPITE Al PLEA FOR COMMUTATIONAl cabled South African Justice MinisterJames KRUGER on 25 May urging him tocommute the death sentence imposed inSeptember 1976 on a Namibian, FilemonNANGOLO. Despite this appeal and

representations made by other organizationsand by a number of Western pvernments,Mr Nangolo was executed at WindhoekPrison on 30 May.

Mr Nangolo was paralyzed from thewaist down as a result of a shs)otingincident when he was arrested in April 1976.

He was sentenced to death on 14September 1976 after 3 two-week trial inthe Windhoek Suprema Court. He was con-victed of participating in four murders andit was alleged that he had undergoneguerrilla training in Angola. Charges underthe Terrorism Act were dropped by theprosecution0

Al CONCERNED ABOUTCONGOLESE PRISONERSReports that prisoners recently jailed follow-ing the assassination of Congolese PresidentMarien NGOUABI are denied visits fromtheir families prompted Al to cable the newhead of state, President Joachim YHOMBI-OPANGO on 4 May. Al expressed particularconcern about Professor Pascal LISSOUBAwho was recently moved to Ouesso Prisonin the extreme north of Congo.

Professor Lissouba was sentenced to lifeimprisonment in April for his alleged partici-pation in the assassination of PresidentNgouabi. However, according to reportsreaching Al , Professor Lissouba first learntof his sentence through a news report on theradio and was given no opportunity torepudiate the charges against himE1

RELEASED PARAGUAYAN PRISONERSSEEK ASYLUM IN PERUVIAN EMBASSYThree former Paraguayan detainees werereportedly granted political asylum in thePeruvian Embassy in Asunción, Paraguay,in April. Antonio MAIDANA, AlfredoALCORTA and Julio ROJAS, who are allmembers of the illegal Paraguayan Commun-ist Party, were released in January aftermore than 18 years' imprisonment (FebruaryNewsletter). It is believed that they soughtrefuge in the embassy because of theinsecurity of their situation—they have notbeen given any identity papers since theirrelease and consequently have been unableto travel.

Paraguayan Minister of Interior DrSabino MONTANARO stated that theirasylum was not justified as they were notsuffering any persecution. They would notbe granted safe conduct passes but couldleave the country as private individuals.However, the minister's statement conflictswith the government's refusal to issuepassports to the three menO

AMNESTY INTERIVATIONAL NEWSLETTERis published monthly by: AMNESTY INTER-NATIONAL PUBLICATIONS, 10 SouthamptonStreet, London WC2E 7HF, England. Printed inGreat Britain by Hill and Garwood Ltd, FourthWay, Wembley. Middlesex. Available on subscrip-tion at £6 (US $15) per calendar year.

amnesty international

campaign for the abolition of tortureJuly 1977 Volume IV Number 7 MONTHLY BULLETIN

"Sequelae of Torture a Disease" say AI DoctorsAI conferences in Amsterdam, London and StocIdiolm on 3 June publiclyintroduced the first AI report on medical research into torture, called Evidenceof Torture: Studies by the Amnesty International 9anish Medical Group(summarized in June CAT Bulletin). The media, medical journalists, govern-ment health officials, representatives from religious groups and medical doctorsattended the conferences.

Participating in each conferencewere members of the Danish researchteam, who called on their medicalcolleagues to regard the sequelae(symptoms and effects) of torture as aman-inflicted disease that should bestudied and treated by doctors. Furtherresearch into the whole field of torturewas called for, especially into thoseaspects of torture that would lead tobetter detection of torture, evenmonths or years after it has occurred,and to more thorough medical treat-ment for torture victims.

The Danish doctors explained the struc-ture of their own group, which comprisesseveral smaller units. The 14 members ofthe central, travelling group coordinate thework of all the units. This group is trained

Philippines TortureInvestigations

At least one of the men who torturedTrinidad HERRERA in the Philippines inApril is to be put on trial.

Mrs Herrera was arrested on 26 Apriland subjected to severe torture, includingelectric shock applied to her thumbs andbreasts (June CAT Bulletin).

Following her release by the martial lawadministration on 13 May, Mrs Herreraidentified three men as having tortured her.The country's martial law administration hassince reportedly announced its intention toput at least one of them on trial.

Al wrote to President Ferdinand E.MARCOSof The Philippines on 26 Mayrecommending that any investigation intothe torture allegations should be conductedby an open and independent commission ofinquiry, rather than by a military tribunal orcourt-martial.

The Philippine authorities have alsoordered an investigation on 25 May into thecase of Ruben BERNARDO, a 17-year-oldstudent, who complained that he was"pistol-whipped" by a policeman duringquestioning in connection with an allegedtheftLJ

to travel anywhere in the world where tortureis allegedly being used. The mandate of suchdoctors sent by Ars International ExecutiveCommittee is to examine victims and, wherepossible, to confirm torture allegations aswell as collect material for further research.

Of the research units, one is focusing onthe effects of electrical torture and anotheron the effects of falanga (beating on the solesof the feet). Others are studying endocrino-logical, norophysiological and other effectsof torture. A new foreasic unit is now beingformed to examine cases of detainees whohave died allegedly as a result of torture.

The letter-writing group is the largestunit, comprising about 100 members fromDenmark. This group's main task is to exertpressure on authorities and medical colleaguesto provide humane treatment for prisonersin countries where torture is used.

The psychiatric unit works independently,but in cooperation with the other units. It iscomposed of five psychiatrists who investig-ate certain abuses of psychiatry, includingthe internment of human rights activists inmental hospitals and the use of drugs totorture such prisoners0

VICTIM DESCRIBES LIFE INA URUGUAYAN TORTURE CENTERA striking personal testimony about life ofpolitical prisoners inside a Uruguayan torturecenter, which has become known as ElInfierno has been received by AI . Accordingto this and other consistent testimonies, ElInfierno is a two-storey building inside amilitary barracks, 13th Armoured InfantryBattalion (Batallón de Infanteria BlindadaNo. 13). It is one of the many establishments—military barracks, police stations andprivate houses—used by the Uruguayansecurity forces as interrogation and torturecenters.

According to the testimony, hundreds ofprisoners have passed—and continue to pass—through El Infierno. Most of them have beenvictims of unofficial arrest, others may havebeen acknowledged to be in detention, buttheir families and lawyers are denied informa-tion about their place of detention.

The prisoners are kept blindfolded andseated in rows of chairs most of the time.Continued on next page, column 2.

NAMIBIAN CHURCH LEADERS ISSUESTATEMENT ON TORTUREFour Namibian church leaders described in apublic statement issued on 26 May thesystematic practice of torture in Namibiaand suggested ways to combat it. Bishop L.AUALA of the Evangelical LutheranOvambokavango Church, Dr J.L. de VRIESof the Evangelical Lutheran Church inNamibia, Bishop R. KOPPMANN of theCatholic Diocese of Windhoek, and theReverend E. MORROW of the AnglicanDiocese of Damaraland, say that in spite ofassurances and promises previously given tochurch leaders by the South African author-ities who administer Namibia, the practicehas increased rather than decreased.

"The only conclusion we can come to inthese circumstances is that those whohave authority in the South Africanforces have given their approval to the useof these brutal methods. The only alter-native explanation would be that theSouth African forces are out of control,or at least vast numbers of officers areincapable of exercising authority overtheir subordinates. This applies equallyto the "homeland" governments andtheir tribal police forces.

"It seems there are many people inour country who have given their approvalto the use of torture. They say that suchmethods are necessary if we are to saveour society from being overrun by lawlesspeople. To this we answer that when asociety consents to the use of torture,no matter how tacitly, it has condonedthe most horrible form of brutality. Ithas adopted values and practices at leastas evil as those it claims to be combattingOnce condoned, torture starts a chainreaction of brutality and inhumanity,poisoning the whole of society."

The statement calls upon the SouthAfrican government to amend the laws "insuch a way that it is impossible for torture totake place", since the existing South Africansecurity laws "promote the practice oftorture". They advise the Namibian people toinform the churches, either directly orthrough their relatives, friends or lawyers,about all details of any ill-treatment ortorture inflicted upon them, and promise todo their utmost to assist victims and to worktowards the eradication of torture in theircountry0

CAT Bulletin

appealsAdriana GATTI DE REY—ArgentinaAdriana GATTI DE REY, an 18-year-oldwoman in an advanced state of pregnancy,was abducted in Buenos Aires on 9 April.

Adriana is the daughter of GerardoGATTI, a leading Uruguayan trade unionistwho was among 30 Uruguayans living inArgentina kidnapped during June and July1976. It was later known that Senor Gattiwas kept in a house in Buenos Aires forseveral weeks. He had been tortured and wasin a poor state of health. There has beenno news of him since August 1976.

Serior GATTI's wife and youngestchildren left Argentina, but Adriana believedshe was in no immediate danger and remaind-ed in Buenos Aires to complete her studies.However, it is becoming increasinglycommon in Argentina for the families ofsuspected left-wing sympathizers to be thevictims of illegal detention, torture or evenassassination.

Please write courteously-worded letters,urging that the wheriabouts of AdrianaGatti de Rey be established and she bereleased, to: Exmo. Sr. Presidente, GeneralJorge Rafael Videla, Casa de Gobierno,Buenos Aires, Argentina; and to: Generalde Division Guillermo Suarez Mason, PrimerCuerpo del Ejército, Av. Santa Fe y LuisM. Campos, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Marko DIZDAR — YugoslaviaMarko DIZDAR, a 26-year-old former studentat Zadar University in Yugoslavia, was triedand convicted in 1975 of terrorist activitiesas an alleged member of a Croatian nationalistgroup. Al has some evidence that the chargeswere largely fabricated at a time whenpolitical and cultural turbulence in Croatiagave anxiety to the Yugoslav government.However, in March 1976 an appeal courtconfirmed the 11-year prison sentence passedon Mr Dizdar and those on his 15 co-defend-ants, who included students, professors andintellectuals from the Zadar area.

AI has received information that severaldefendants in the Zadar trial have beenkept in solitary confinement for more thana year. Mr Dizdar was named as one of these.According to this information, the prisonersin solitary confinement are allowed only30 minutes' exercise each day, and exerciseis taken in handcuffs.

In addition, Marko Dizdar has reportedlyundergone brain surgery at Zagreb prisonhospital during the past year. The medicalreasons for the surgery are unclear. Prisonauthorities have claimed that they werecorrecting a childhood disorder, but MrDizdar's brother has said he had no suchdisorder. Al is investigating his brother'sclaim, made in a letter to Le Monde of 2June 1976, that Mr Dizdar's family had beenforced to confirm the prison authorities'statement, but that the surgery was actually

the "logical consequence of physical ill-treatment suffered in the prison".

Mr Dizdar is believed to have been anargumentative prisoner and often in troublewith the authorities at Lepoglava Prisonbefore his transfer to Zagreb prison hospitalfor the brain operation.

Al's concern stems from the seriousquestions surrounding the conviction ofMr Dizdar and the effect on him of pro-longed isolation. Al opposes prolongedsolitary confinement, particularly in thecase of a prisoner known to suffer from illhealth.

Please write courteously-worded letters,expressing concern about the health andconditions of detention of Marko Dizdar andrequesting clarification about the reason forhis surgery, to: President Josip Broz Tito,Office of the President of the Republic,Bulevar Oktobarske Revolucije 70,Belgrade, Yugoslavia; and to: Mr Z. Uzelac,Minister of Justice of the Republic ofCroatia, Republicki Sekretarijat zaPravosudje i Opstu Upravu SR Hrvatske,41000 Zagreb, Jezuitski trg 4, Yugoslavia.

NEWS FROM PAST APPEALThe Turkish Ambassador at the Council ofEurope in Strasbourg has asked Al'sInternational Secretariat to inform Almembers and readers of the Newsletter that,as a result of an inquiry by the Istanbulpublic prosecutor into allegations of tortureby student leader Pap GUVEN in January(February CAT Bulletin), three policemenare on trial for assault. The prosecutor hasdemanded prison sentences ranging from 9months to 4 years. Mr Giiven has, in themeantime, been released on bail (April CATBulletin).

Jorge MONTES, an ex-parliamentarian andmember of the Communist Party in Chile,was released on 18 June in exchange for 11East German political prisoners. SenorMontes was severely tortured after his arrestin July 1974 (December 1974 CAT Appeals).

Victim Describes Life in a UruguayanTorture CenterContinued from page 1, column 2.They are called by numbers and taken to thetorture rooms in turns.

"At dawn, they began to call out certainnumbers. The first day, I recall, it wasnumbers 39, 43 and 117. Fifteen to thirtyminutes later, I realized where they had gone.Number 39 was a woman, and I heard herscreaming that morning. The 'torture machinewas there, close by.

".. .They tortured us all day. They kepttaking people off in groups of three or four.They would drag them back and throw themon the floor or, occasionally, if they were ina very bad state, on to the mattresses. Manywere no longer groaning, they wereunconscious. .. A woman wept the whole day.They took her away at nightfall. I couldhear her crying in the distance. Her criesgrew louder and louder. She was terrified

and screamed in agony. She was a wife andmother.

". ..The night of the dogs was one of theworst nights. We had already heard dogsbarking and had imagined they were likethose fine, faithful animals which live with usand love our children. But these dogs weredifferent, as I was to discover. They suspend-ed three people, a woman and two men, in acorner. They hung the woman by her hair andthe men from under their arms. Their feetwere four or five centimeters above theground. The dogs stood underneath them,barking. I could visualize the three of themtrembling with fear. At dawn they askedthem if they had anything to say to thecommanding officer. No one replied...Soon after, someone else cut the ropes andthey fell to the ground. I can imagine thepain they were in. After being suspendedlike this for hours on end, all your bloodruns to your arms and legs and droppingsuddenly is agonizing. After falling, theywere motionless. YIC, the man from Cerro,died. This had been'his final torture...."

The substance and some specific inci-dents mentioned in the testimony areconsistent with other AI information. Alhas received, for example, reliable informa-tion about the death under torture ofNuble YIC, a trade unionist from Cerro, inMarch 1976.

The author of this testimony was eventu-ally released from El Infierno.

"...Someone took hold of my arm andpulled me up. I was led to a soft, elegantarmchair—no doubt stolen in some raid.They seated me on it and handed me a pieceof paper, which I read under my bandage:

"I HEREBY DECLARE THAT WHILEI HAVE BEEN HERE I HAVE NOT BEENTORTURED AND WAS PROPERLY FED.

" 'Sign', they said, and I signed."

El Infierno: Life Inside a Uruguayan TortureCenter, 9 stencilled pages, is available from ArsInternational Secretariat, 10 Southampton Street,London WC2E 7HF, England0

Prisoner Releases and CasesThe International Secretariat learnedin May of the release of 109 prisonersand took up 124 new cases.

News of Past CampaignsJoseph Henry MENSAH, serving an 8-yearprison sentence with hard labour for sedi-tion in Ghana, has been moved fromNsawam Prison near Accra to a prison atKrechi, in the Volta region. The move tookplace early in 1977 (January Prisoners ofthe Month Campaign).