amnesty MARCH 1985 Volume XV Number 3

international newsletterPeru debateon abuses ofhuman rightsintensifiesThe national debate on humanrights violations in Peru isreported to have intensifiedsince the publication on 23January of Al's Peru Briefing(see February Newsletter).

Extensive reports on thebriefing appeared in thecountry's major newspapersand magazines — one magazineprinted the full 20-page Spanish-language version — and on theday of publication an hour-longprime-time television programwas devoted to it. Copies of thebriefing were on sale at newskiosks in 16 cities in Peru.

With some exceptions, the PeruvianGovernment's public reaction to thebriefing appears to have been differentin tone to harshly critical commentswhich followed the publication inSeptember 1983 of an extensivememorandum to President FernandoBelaiinde Terry. President Belaiundethen said in a television interview that Alwas "a Communist organization", andthat its letters to his government were"thrown directly into the wastepaperbasket".

Some government and news mediacommentary speculating on the contentof the briefing was published severalweeks before the publication date. ThePeruvian weekly news magazine Caretas

reported on 14 January that the plannedpublication of the briefing was "certainto cause a great commotion".

A summary of Al's concerns in Peruand an announcement of the impendingpublication of the briefing was alsobroadcast in a leading television newsprogram, Encuentros, on 15 January.

On 16 January, General Oscar BrushNoel, former Minister of Defence andnow Minister of Interior, made astatement flatly rejecting Al's briefing

He claimed that the governmentrespected the life and honour of Peru'scitizens, and that Shining Path guerrillasalone were responsible for violatinghuman rights in Peru.

On 20 January the general wasquestioned by international press agencycorrespondents on a news report

Peru's Attorney General, Alvaro Reyde Ca§tro, examining Al's PeruBriefing, which was published on 23January. He is reported to have saidthe briefing provided "a call forreflection by the forces in charge ofthe suppression of terrorism", andby the government itself, becausethe briefing presented the real anddramatic problem of human rightsviolations in the country.

The Attorney General headsPeru's Public Ministry, which hascontinued to make determinedefforts to bring the facts ofextrajudicial killings and thecountry's 1,000-plus "dis-appearances" out into the open.Public Ministry representativeshave since late 1983 regularly andpublicly protested about theobstruction of their work by policeand military authorities in Peru'sEmergency Zone.

published the day before; it containedevidence that nine people found thatweek in clandestine graves in Ayacuchohad been previously detained by policeand military forces and had"disappeared". He replied that "onlythe Armed Forces Joint Command" wasauthorized to make statementsconcerning the situation in Ayacucho.

On 18 January, General Cesar Praeli,head of the Armed Forces JointCommand, was quoted as stating that"the Armed Forces of Peru reject theAmnesty International report".

Asked about the ever more numerousclandestine graves and the dozens ofcorpses discovered, showing signs oftorture and gunshot wounds, hereportedly said: "1 am convinced thatthey are not acts perpetrated by the

Armed Forces but by members of theterrorist group," and added that theCommand responsible for theEmergency Zone would carry out anexhaustive investigation in this regardand would study Al's briefing.

A series of statements have been madeto the Peruvian and international newsmedia by the Peruvian Prime Minister,Luis Percovich.

On 23 January he reportedly declaredthat the government would investigateAl's allegations and "give precise andpublic reports of this". Later that day heis reported to have said that "isolated"excesses by the security forces had takenplace and that those responsible hadbeen handed over to "the appropriateauthorities".

On 25 January, the Prime Ministertold reporters in Lima that Peruvianofficials with information from thepolice and military would answer Al'scharges at the meeting of the UnitedNations Human Rights Commission inGeneva in February and March.

On 5 February the international newsagency Reuters reported that the PrimeMinister had told reporters that"widespread errors" had been found inAmnesty International's briefing,affirming that:" . . . 53 of the 1,005 people Amnestyalleged to have disappeared in agovernment anti-guerrilla crackdownbefore last October had applied forvoter registration cards after that date."

On 1 February, Al cabled the PrimeMinister welcoming the promise of aninvestigation into unresolved "dis-appearances" in Peru and requesting hisintercession to ensure the safety of threeyoung Peruvians reported detained and"disappeared.' on 25 and 28 January inthe Ayacucho Emergency Zone.

In a second cable on 7 February, Alexpressed great interest in the PrimeMinister's statement affirming thereappearance of 53 people previouslyreported "disappeared". It noted that,as stressed in its Peru briefing, AI wouldperiodically update the published list of"disappeared" in order to indicate that

Continued on page 8

Also in this issue: • Georgianpetition against four deathsentences, page 2 • Al andits impact, interview, page 4

Arrests in Poland, page 6Namibian death in custody,

page 7 • Public execution inSudan, page 8

2MARCH 1985

USSRGeorgian deputies reportedto have signed petitionagainst death sentences

SyriaTorturers putlawyer's life indanger for 4thyear in a row

Two deputies of the Georgian republic'sSupreme Soviet, as well as film-makers,actors and writers, are reported to havebacked a petition against deathsentences which were passed on fourGeorgians in August last year.

As many as 3,000 people in theGeorgian Soviet Socialist Republic(SSR) are estimated by unofficialsources in the USSR to have signed thepetition.

It was apparently launched byrelatives of the four Georgians, whowere sentenced to death for involvementin an attempt to hijack an airliner.

The petition, which circulated inGeorgia, called for their sentences to becommuted to terms of imprisonment.

The four are: German Kobakhidze,23, a professional actor; two brothers,Paata Iverieli, 27, a surgeon at Tbilisimedical institute, and Kakha Iverieli, 27,a general practitioner; and TeymurazChikhladze, 33, a former priest of theGeorgian Orthodox Church.

Their case received wide publicity inGeorgia's official information media.On 23 August 1984 a two-hour televisiondocumentary called "Bandits" showedextracts from their trial.

The program then received a longreview in the Georgian CommunistYouth newspaper AkgalgazdraKomunisti. The author of the reviewsaid the newspaper had been bombardedwith letters from private individuals andCommunist Party members calling forthe four men to be executed.

The petition against the deathsentences is not reported to have beenpublicized in the official news media.

According to information publicizedin Georgia, an armed group tried tohijack an airliner carrying 59 passengerson an internal flight from Tbilisi toLeningrad on 18 November 1983. Theytold the pilot to divert to Turkey.Instead, he returned to Tbilisi. Onlanding, the airliner was stormed by ananti-terrorist squad and the hijackerswere overpowered. Eight people died —three passengers, two of the crew andthree hijackers.

The four surviving hijackers, thealleged organizer (TeymurazChikhladze) and an airport worker werelater tried by the Judicial Collegium onCriminal Cases of the Supreme Court ofthe Georgian SSR.

Teymuraz Ckikhladze and three of thehijackers were sentenced to death; theother hijacker, aged 19 and reportedly astudent at the Georgian Academy ofArts, received a sentence of 14 years'

imprisonment and the airport workerthree years' suspended.

• On 22 August 1984 Al appealed toPresident Konstantin Chernenko toexercise his constitutional authority togrant clemency and commute the fourdeath sentences. At the time of going topress it was not known whether the fourGeorgians had been executed. Unofficialsources say they were executed inNovember 1984 but this has not beenconfirmed . CI

Death of POC

Eduard Arutyunyan (above), anArmenian economist adopted by A/as a prisoner of conscience, has diedof cancer at his home in Erevan,according to reports received earlierthis year. He had apparently beenreleased prematurely because of ill-health.

He was serving a sentence imposedin 1983 of three years imprisonmentafter conviction for "circulating anti-Soviet slander".

It was his second term ofimprisonment on political grounds.In April 1977 he had helped to forman unofficial group to monitor theSoviet Government's compliancewith the human rights provisions ofthe 1975 Helsinki Final Act (the"Helsinki Accords"). In July 1979,he was convicted of "circulating anti-Soviet slander" and sentenced to twoand a half years imprisonment. Aladopted him as a prisoner ofconscience.

Syrian interrogators are again reportedto have tortured Riad Al-Turk, aDamascus lawyer in his fifties, who issaid to be gravely ill.

It is the fourth year in a row that hislife is reported to have been put at riskby torture.

Riad Al-Turk, First Secretary of thebanned Communist Party PoliticalBureau, was arrested on 28 October

APPRiad Al-Turk

1980 and has been held incommunicadosince then without charge or trial. Al,which adopted him as a prisoner ofconscience in March 1981, has receivedreports that he was tortured againduring interrogation in December 1984.His health is said to have deterioratedseriously. He suffers from kidney failureand is recently said to have gone deafand to have a broken arm and leg.

Al's information is that he has beendeprived of daylight for prolongedperiods.

His present whereabouts are unknown— he was last known to have been heldat military intelligence headquarters inDamascus.

Urgent appeals

A/ has issued urgent appeals to theSyrian authorities to ensure that heimmediately receives all the medicaltreatment he may need. It is calling forhis present whereabouts to be madeknown and for him to be releasedimmediately as a prisoner of conscience.

Riad Al-Turk was previously reportedto have been tortured in February 1981,January 1982 and mid-December 1983.He was twice admitted to intensive careunits at hospitals in Damascus.E

MARCH 1985 3

Campaign for Prisoners of the MonthEach of the people whose story is told below is a prisoner of conscience. Each has

been arrested because of his or her religious or political beliefs, colour, sex, ethnic

origin or language. None has used or advocated violence. Their continuing deten-

tion is a violation of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

International appeals can help to secure the release of these prisoners or to improve

their detention conditions. In the interest of the prisoners, letters to the authorities

should be worded carefully and courteously. You should stress that your concern

for human rights is not in any way politically partisan. In no circumstances should

communications be sent to the prisoner.

Eight writers and journalists,Libya

They were arrested in Decem-ber 1978 and are reported tohave been sentenced to lifeimprisonment after convic-tion under a law which effec-tively bans all oppositionpolitical activity.

The eight were among a group of 18people arrested in December 1978 eitherat or after a meeting in Benghazi to com-memorate the death of the Libyan poetAli Ragi'iy. The 18 are reported to havebeen beaten and ill-treated in other waysafter arrest and to have been held in-communicado in solitary confinementfor over three months.

All were charged under Articles 2, 3and 6 of Law 71 of 1972 which prohibitsany "gathering, organization or group• . . based on a political conceptopposed . . . to the principles of theFatah Revolution . . .". Violation ofLaw 71 is punishable by death.

The eight writers and journalists wereaccused of forming a Marxist com-munist organization. They are: IdrisJuma' Al Mismari, Sa'ad Al SawiMahmoud, Khalifa Sifaw Khaboush,

Muhammad Muhammad Al Fgih Salih,

Ali Muhammad Hadidan Al Rheibi,

Omar Belgassim Shelig Al Kikli, IdrisMuhammad 1bn Tayeb and AhmedMuhammad Al Fitouri.

They and the others were tried by athree-member tribunal in an ordinarycriminal court during 1980. An AI

observer attended three trial sessionsearly in the year. The organization laterreceived reports that the eight defend-ants named above and another five wereconvicted and sentenced to life im-prisonment, and that the remaining fivewere acquitted (no reports were receivedof their having been released).

The eight writers and journalists arebelieved to be in Tripoli's Central andBenghazi's Kuweifiya Prisons.

A / considers that they are imprisonedfor non-violently exercising their rightsto freedom of expression and opinion.

Please send courteous letters

appealing for their release to: ColonelMu'ammar al-Gaddafi / Leader of theRevolution / Tripoli / Socialist People'sLibyan Arab Jamahiriya.

Heriberto ALEGRE Ortiz,Paraguay

A lawyer aged 42, he wasarrested in September 1984and is being held in TacumbdPrison. Al believes hisdetention is related to hisdefence work for politicalprisoners and peasantsinvolved in land disputes withbig landowners.

Heriberto Alegre works with two localhuman rights organizations, the Comite

de Iglesias para Ayudas de Emergencia(Inter-Church Emergency Relief Com-mittee), which provides legal advice toprisoners, and the Programa de Ayuda

Cristiana (Christian Aid Program),which works with peasants in easternParaguay, where the number of landdisputes has increased noticeably inrecent years.

He was arrested on 7 September 1984while visiting a group of peasants held atthe police station in the town of PuertoPresidente Stroessner and was chargedwith inciting peasants to occupy landillegally.

He was remanded in custody in Octo-ber pending the outcome of legalproceedings in four separate land tenuredisputes in Alto Paraná and Canindeyndepartments. In addition, an embargowas put on his property, a precautionmore usual in civil damages suits — butoften resorted to by the authorities incases against people regarded asopponents of the government.

Legal proceedings in the separatecases have begun and Heriberto Alegrehas appeared in court. Defence appealsfor his release from custody have beenrejected. His lawyers have protested thatcourt rulings on these petitions have notbeen made within the statutory timeperiod.

The Roman Catholic Church inParaná, which consulted HeribertoAlegre about peasant land rights, hascalled for his immediate release. In astatement published in the Asuncióndaily newspaper Ultima flora, churchauthorities described the charges againsthim as "of dubious veracity".

Ars information is that the prose-

cution's case against Heriberto Alegrerests almost entirely on statements bypeasants made under coercion.

Please send courteous letters

appealing for his release to: Exmo. Sr.Presidente de la Repüblica / GeneralAlfredo Stroessner / Palacio deGobierno / Asunción / Paraguay.

Khil SPASOV, Bulgaria

A young man who turns 21this month (March), he wasarrested soon atter leavinghigh school in 1983 and isserving a three-year prisonsentence for planning toleave the country withoutofficial permission.

Kiril Spasov was living with his family inSofia when he was arrested in early May1983. He and a friend who was a militaryconscript were reportedly charged withmaking unauthorized preparations toleave Bulgaria.

The Bulgarian Constitution does notguarantee the right to freedom ofmovement and its citizens are rarelypermitted to travel outside EasternEurope. Under Article 279 of thecriminal code, those who try to leavewithout a permit face up to five yearsimprisonment on first conviction.

A is information is that Kiril Spasovwas tried by a Sofia military court inSeptember 1983 and sentenced to threeyears imprisonment. He is reportedlystill in prison, having failed to benefitfrom an amnesty last year for prisonerssentenced to up to three years imprison-ment for premeditated crimes, or fiveyears for unpremeditated crimes.

A/ believes that he has been im-prisoned for having tried to exercise hisright to freedom of movement andexpression, in contravention of Articles12 and 19 of the International Covenantof Civil and Political Rights, ratified byBulgaria in September 1970.

Please send courteous letters

appealing for his release to: _ HisExcellency Todor Zhivkov / Chairmanof the State Council / Darzhaven Savetna Narodna Republika Bulgaria / Bul.Dondukov 2 / Sofia / Bulgaria.

If you prefer, you may send your appeals to the embassies of these governments in your own country

4 MARCH 1985

AMNESTYINTERNATIONALAND ITSIMPACTSuriya Wickremasinghe isthe Chairperson of Al'sgoverning body, theInternational ExecutiveCommittee (IEC). She waselected to her third term asChairperson in November1984. A practising lawyer,member of the Bar Council ofSri Lanka since 1977 and co-author of its special report onthe implementation of theUnited Nations Declarationagainst Torture, she has beena member of the board of AlSri Lanka since 1977. Shewas elected to the IEC in 1978.Her special assignments asan IEC member haveincluded a mission to VietNam, talks with central andregional authorities inGhana, and membershipdevelopment visits to India,Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Ghanaand Senegal. In Novembershe played an important partat Al's Regional DevelopmentConference in Tanzania (seeNovember 1984 Newsletter).She was interviewed for theNewsletter before her returnto Sri Lanka earlier this year.

How did you first become involved withAl?I first heard of Al in 1971 when there

was a violent attempt to overthrow the

government in my own country. It failed

and the government took firm counter-

action — but, as so often happens, it

was sometimes too harsh. At one stage

about 16,000 people were in custody.

I was approached by many families,

often very poor, who had come from

distant parts of the country with heart-

rending stories, such as: "My son was

taken in the night by the police and has

never been heard of since, can you find

out what's happened to him?" . . . "My

daughter has been arrested and we know

that torture takes place in our police

station; please help us." . . . "My

Suriya Wickremasinghe

brothers have been falsely accused by aneighbour who is angry with us and they

are now being held in prison without

charge or trial." . . .Many organizations, both at home

and abroad, looked at these problems ina very politically biased way, without

proper conern for the tragic and human

problems involved. AI —almost the sole

exception — sent delegations to Sri

Lanka to look into the human rights

violations.

What exactly was it that impressed youabout the organization?Ars complete lack of concern about the

political stand either of the government

or of the group which had tried to over-

throw it. It was interested only in dis-

covering the facts, and then trying to

stop the arbitrary killings, and the

torture in police stations; and in en-

suring that all people being held under

suspicion were not only treated

humanely but were given fair trials.

Ars concern for complete accuracy in

finding out what was happening, com-

bined with the impartiality and dedica-

tion with which it acted on its findings,

made me realize that this organization

was something very special indeed.

Do you feel you are on the IEC as arepresentative of Sri Lanka or of theAsian region?No: as you know, there is no country or regional representation on the IEC. We

are elected by the worldwide member-

ship in our individual capacities. I just

happen to be an Asian.

We have sometimes heard it argued that

the movement reflects Western liberalvalues with limited or no relevance to

countries which have different cultural

heritages and whose most pressing prob-

lems are economic development and the

eradication of hunger and poverty. As

an Asian, can you talk about Al'srelevance to third-world countries?

I totally disagree that one has to choose

between human rights and development.

This presents a completely false choice.

The two are not in conflict — on the

contrary they are they are interdepen-

dent. Development is not somethingimposed on people from above: it is aprocess in which the people must par-

ticipate — and how can they participateif they are not free to speak their

minds . . . if they are arrested and

thrown into jail when they point out that

government officials are wasteful and

corrupt or even just inefficient?

How can you expect the ready and

willing cooperation of the population in

developing the economy if they are not

allowed to participate freely in the

decision as to whether public funds —their money — would best be spent on

this or that type of project . . . if they

are not allowed to have a say in the

priorities of government spending and

government policies?

So you don't accept the talk of alien

Western values being foisted on a

different culture?No, I certainly don't. This is the sort of

talk a government may indulge in — but

really the free exchange of ideas and

theories is crucial to the development of

human thought and the progress of

human society anywhere. The test would

be to ask prisoners being beaten up in

police cells whether they think Al is

trying to foist alien values on their

countries when it asks their tormentersto stop torturing them.

Apart from Al's concern about the

accuracy of its information and itspolitical impartiality, what otherfeatures have attracted you?There are several other features that

combine to make AI a unique organiza-

tion.

• One is the fact that it has chosen to

keep its work within a limited scope. It

doesn't deal with all possible violations

of human rights but concentrates instead

on political imprisonment, torture and

executions.

Is this because it feels the rights violated

in such cases are more important than

others?Certainly not. This is an extremely

important issue and I'd like to make

MARCH 1985 5

Ars position quite clear. There havebeen repeated calls for it to broaden itssphere of action: to work for other civiland political liberties such as the right tovote in fair and free elections, the rightto leave or return to one's own country,the right to be free from censorship . . .There have also been pressures on Al tomove into the fields of economic andsocial rights. "What about the poor, thedispossessed, the exploited?" Al isasked. "Don't you care about them —or the unemployed, the homeless, thehungry . .

Of course Al is sympathetic: it is amovement that cares about people.Clearly it recognizes that other humanrights violations are no less grave thanthe ones it has chosen to concentrate on.

But it insists on sticking to its limitedmandate for one all-important practicalreason: to be effective in what it doesundertake.

In other words, you feel that it would beimpossible for any single organization tocope with all the human rights violationsthat take place?Exactly. How could it possibly hope toacquire the kinds and depth of expertiseneeded for effective action when it isconfronted by continuing and changingdemands on such a wide front?

Economic and social rights pose afurther problem. Their pursuit ofteninvolves complex questions of economicand social theory which are outside thecompetence of a broad non-politicalmovement such as A /.

As individuals we have our various —and often conflicting — views on suchmatters, which we are free to pursuethrough other organizations. But Almust be preserved as a common meetingground where people from the broadestpossible spectrum of opinions andpolitical leanings can come together onthe basis of a common commitment tocertain very basic freedoms and liberties.

So Al limits the scope of its activities .... . to get results in the field in which itis competent. To be effective. Tosucceed as far as possible in helping thepeople it sets out to help. Other humanrights problems must be left to otherhumanitarian organizations betterequipped to deal with them. As I saidearlier, there is nothing to prevent Almembers from working in such organi-zations as well; in fact many do so.

• Another important feature of A rswork is its focus on the individualprisoner — the individual man orwoman in the cell, held there for noreason other than his or her conscien-tiously held beliefs or racial origins.That's why Al was founded — andthat's why it continues to exist: concernfor individuals — for people, notstatistics.

You mean it's not enought to providegeneral information about political im-prisonment and related human rightsviolations?AI is after the names of individualprisoners and specific details about eachparticular case. When was he or shearrested? Were there witnesses? Whereis the prisoner being held? Is his or herlife in danger? Are there any charges?Who can give us further information?This is the starting point of Ars work.

You have explained that Al workswithin a relatively limited scope in orderto be more effective. Even so, manypeople are surprised at the impact it hason governments of widely differingideologies. How do you explain thisimpact?The very basis and cornerstone of Al'swork is the involvement of thousands ofmen and women throughout the worldin the work of the movement.

If governments today are prepared toreceive and to listen to Ars delegations,this is often precisely because they havealready been subjected for months oreven years to relentless pressure fromgroups of AI members who, day in andday out, take pains to familiarize them-selves with the facts about theirprisoners and the countries to whichthey belong, write letters to ministersand other officials on behalf of theseprisoners, collect signatures on peti-tions, lobby visiting state dignitaries,pay visits to local ambassadors and askthem polite but informed questions._o,

It is mainly to the steadfast work ofthis international army of individualmen and women interceding on behalfof other individual men and women thatAI owes its impact.

In 1971 you were involved in the humanrights situation in your own country,and you are a founder member of a lead-ing Sri Lanka civil liberties organization.Have you continued to conern yourselfwith the human rights problems of yourown country?Naturally no person concerned abouthuman rights in the rest of the world canremain unconcerned about problems athome. However, Al has a very strict andnecessary rule that no member in thecapacity of a member of Al works onhuman rights problems in his or her owncountry. Therefore in my Al capacity Itake no action on any question relatingto Sri Lanka.

What is the reason for this rule?The rule operates at every level of theorganization — in its local sections,among the employed staff at the Inter-national Secretariat, and in the IEC. It isdesigned to protect the impartiality andpolitical independence of the movement.

The collection and evaluation ofinformation about the human rightssituation in any part of the world, andthe decision on what action to take onthis information, is done centrally, andmust be free from local political or otherpressures — which is why we excludenationals from the countries concernedfrom taking part in such decisions.

What about other threats to impartialityand independence — for instance,funding?A human rights body such as Al, whichmonitors the way in which the govern-ments of the world treat their owncitizens, must be politically independent.Political independence and financialindependence are inextricably boundtogether. Thus AI has strict rules aboutfinances to ensure that the organizationis not compromised by the funds itaccepts, and that its freedom of action isnot in any way affected.

Al does not accept funds fromgovernments to finance its budget. Onlyexceptionally and after specialprocedures do we accept large donationsfrom any one source. And we do notaccept "earmarked" funds — no donorcan say for what particular purpose hisor her money can be used. Thus thegiving of money cannot be used todetermine our policies.

This fact gives the movement thatextra moral dimension which is soimportant for Al when it, a voluntarynon-governmental organization, has tocome face to face with governmentswhich ill-treat their own citizens, and tryto influence them to respect humanrights. 1

6 MARCH 1985

UgandaJournalists held withoutcharge torture allegedFour journalists from the Ugandanopposition weekly Munnansi have beendetained without charge since November1984 — one of them is reported to havebeen tortured. Al believes that they areprisoners of conscience and has calledfor their immediate release.

Editor arrested

The paper's editor, Anthony

Ssekweyama, was arrested on 23November and served with a detentionorder under the Public Order andSecurity Act, which permits indefinitedetention without trial. The grounds forhis detention are believed to be an articlewhich appeared in Munnansi on 21November criticizing the presence ofNorth Korean troops in the country.

At the time of his arrest AnthonySsekweyama was already out on bail inconnection with a charge of seditionwhich had been laid against him and twosenior officials of the oppositionDemocratic Party (DP).

At a press conference in late Octoberthe DP had released a copy of an allegedletter from Chief Justice George Masikato President Milton Obote, proposingthe detention of members of the DPleadership. The DP leader, PaulSsemogerere, said that he had lostconfidence in the Chief Justice'simpartiality.

Paul Ssemogerere; the DP publicitysecretary, Ojok-Mulozi, and AnthonySsekweyama were all charged withsedition, the latter on the grounds thatMunnansi had published the letter andPaul Ssemogerere's allegedly seditiousremarks about it. All three were releasedon bail and their case is pending.

At the end of October or in earlyNovember three other Munnansijournalists were detained.

David Kasujja was arrested atEntebbe airport, which he was visiting toresearch a story he was writing. He wascharged with a criminal offence andreleased on bail but immediately re-detained. He is now held with AnthonySsekweyama in Luzira Upper Prison,near Kampala.

Taken to barracks

Andrew Mulindwa and John Baptist

Kyeyune were arrested at their homesand reportedly taken to Makindyemilitary barracks. Both were latertransferred to police custody inKampala, where they remain withoutcharge.

John Baptist Kyeyune is reported tohave been tortured before his transfer topolice custody.

Four other Ugandan journalists

whom Al believed to be prisoners otconscience were released in January1985. Francis Kanyeihamba and Sam

Kiwanuka of the weekly newspaper Pilothad been in custody since April 1984.They were charged in connection with anarticle in the Pilot satirizing the govern-ment's proposed Women's Charter.They were acquitted in November butimmediately redetained.

Drake Ssekeba and Sam Katwere ofthe Star, Uganda's only non-government English-language daily

Drake Ssekeba, detained atter his

newspaper ran a story alleging

government corruption; he was later

released without charge.

newspaper, had been detained sinceNovember after their paper ran a front-page story accusing governmentministers of corruption. They werereleased without charge.

AI is investigating the cases of threeother journalists known to be detainedin Uganda. One of them, Pascal

Buteera, is reported to have been inprison for two years. Li

Prisoner releases and cases

Al learned in january 1985 of the

release of 182 prisoners under

adoption or investigation; it took up

118 cases.

PolandSolidarity sevencharged afterstrike meetingSeven leading former members of thebanned trade union Solidarity weredetained on 13 February during ameeting to discuss a 15-minute strikeplanned for 28 February in protestagainst food price rises and an increasein the working week in Poland.

All were charged on 15 Februaryunder Article 282a of the Penal Codewith fomenting illegal protests andpreparing action to create public unrest;they face a maximum penalty of threeyears imprisonment.

Four of the detainees were releasedthe same day but three remain indetention. Those released were: Jacek

Merkel and Mariusz Wilk; and Stanislaw

Handzlik and Janusz Palubicki, both ofwhom were formerly adopted by Al asprisoners of conscience — they wereimprisoned for activities in connectionwith Solidarity and released after theJuly 1984 amnesty law.

The three still detained are:Wladyslaw Frasyniuk, Bogdan Lis andAdam Michnik. All three had beenreleased under the terms of the amnestylaw. A Justice Ministry official said thatif they were convicted of the new chargesagainst them, they would have to servethe remainder of their previoussentences and all proceedings frozenunder the amnesty would be reopened.

Wladyslaw Frasyniuk has alreadyserved one term of imprisonment sincethe amnesty — two months in late 1984for participating in a ceremony com-memorating the birth of Solidarity inWroclaw. This was officially considereda misdemeanour and the amnesty wasnot revoked in his case at the time.

Bogdan Lis and Adam Michnik werewarned by the authorities on 30 January1985 that investigations had begunagainst them for participating in ameeting of the underground Solidarityleadership which originally called for the15-minute strike action.

Convicted after visit

Another Solidarity leader, Andrzéj

Gwiazda, who was already serving athree-month sentence for participatingin a demonstration, was given anadditional two-month sentence on 12February after conviction on charges ofbreach of the peace in early Decemberwhile visiting other Solidarity membersnear Katowice.0

Death penaltyAl has learned of 99 people beingsentenced to death in 14 countries and of61 executions in seven countries duringDecember 1984.0

MARCH 1985 7

Namibian detainee, father PakistanHundreds detained

of nine, dies in custody in election run-upA 45-year old father of nine childrenwho died in detention in Namibia inJanuary is reported to have been heldin security police custody at a secretdetention centre near Osire,southeast of Otjiwarongo.

AI has received a number ofdetailed reports of security policedetainees being beaten and torturedwhile held incommunicado and insolitary confinement at the Osiredetention centre (see Namibia File onTorture in the February 1985Newsletter).

The dead detainee has been namedas Thomas Shindobo Nikanor, whoworked for a diamond miningcompany at Oranjemund.

He is reported to have beenarrested by South African securitypolice on 22 January while on leaveat home in Engela in Ovamboland,one of the northernmost districts ofNamibia.

The arrest was reportedly madeunder Proclamation AG.9 of 1977,an administrative decree whichpermits indefinite incommunicadodetention without charge or trial forinterrogation purposes.

Within a week the detainee wasdead; he is reported to have died on27 January. The security police sayhe hanged himself with his socks.

State settles claimsafter torture allegedJust days before Thomas ShindoboNikanor's death the South Africanauthorities forestalled a civil actionfor damages arising from the death ofanother AG.9 detainee in 1982.

They made an out-of-courtsettlement of 58,000 Rand (about£27,800) in respect of the death of

South KoreaHouse-arrest forKim Dae-JungOpposition leader Kim Dae-Jung wasput under house-arrest immediatelyafter his return to South Korea on 8February and Al again considers him aprisoner of conscience.

He was reportedly told by theauthorities that he would not be allowedto leave his house or receive visitors "forpolitical activities". A governmentspokesperson denied that Kim Dae-Jungwas under house-arrest and said that therestrictions on his movements andvisitors were for his "protection".

Shortly before Kim Dae-Jung's arrivalin Seoul, 20 prominent dissidents had

Jona Hamukwaya in detention inNovember 1982 (see February 1985File on Torture). The settlement pluscosts was made to the victim's widow(Katrina Hamukwaya) and child. Theauthorities agreed to the settlementwithout admitting liability.

Jona Hamukwaya, a schoolteacher, died shortly after beingdetained by members of Koevoet, aspecial police counter-insurgencyunit.

Katrina Hamukwaya's claim wasone of a number settled out of courtby the South African authorities inJanuary 1985 for alleged assaults byKoevoet members during 1982 and1983. They paid a total of overR30,000 (about E14,400). Theclaimants (and their allegations)included:

Paulinus Imelide — struck by abullet in the forehead, beaten on herhead, back and legs; required medicaltreatment and hospitalization as aresult:

Petrus Ugwanga — beaten with arubber whip and thick stick; wenttemporarily deaf as a result;

Petrus Amukoshi beaten unconscious;

Petrus Shekuya — hospitalizedfor five days with badly bruised ribsafter being beaten;

Patrick Katanga — hit in thestomach and threatened withhanging;

Frank Mujira — beaten, had twofront teeth knocked out with the buttof a rifle, and had a pistol put againsthis head;

Andreas Kannyinga — hospi-talized after being assaulted andbeaten with a long wooden pole;

Raimbert Kudumu — severelybeaten.

been put under house-arrest to preventthem from meeting him at the airport.These measures have now been lifted.According to press reports, a number ofpeople were detained for taking part inpeaceful demonstrations in support ofKim Dae-Jung.

On 8 February 1985 A/ sent a telexmessage to the South Korean Minister ofHome Affairs expressing concern thatKim Dae-Jung had been put underhouse-arrest and saying that in its viewthis measure had made him a prisoner ofconscience. It urged the house-arrestorder to be lifted without delay.

It also expressed concern aboutreports of the arrest of peopledemonstrating peacefully and of policeill-treating themLi

Hundreds of people were arrestedthroughout Pakistan during and afterDecember 1984 and imprisoned for theirparticipation in peaceful politicalactivities.

On 12 February Al appealed toPresident Zia-ul-Haq for the release ofall these detainees.

Most of the leadership of the Move-ment for the Restoration of Democracy(MRD) in Punjab province and manypolitical party workers were arrestedduring January 1985, some 200 in all.The MRD is an alliance of majoropposition parties in Pakistan. At least50 opposition activists were detained inNorth West Frontier province between 4and 8 February 1985.

National elections were scheduled for25 February and elections to provincialassemblies three days later. All

Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan, leader of thePakistan Democratic Party, which is part ofthe MRD alliance (see text). He was one ofthe hundreds of people arrested since Decem-ber 1984. He was put under house-arrest on10 January, release on 18 January, then re-arrested on 20 January and taken to KotLakhpat Jail, Lahore, where he was heldunder a three-month detention order.

candidates in these elections wererequired to stand as individuals withoutparty affiliation.

The MRD refused to participate in theelections on these terms and called forthe elections to be held under the 1973Constitution, most of whose provisionsare currently suspended. It was in thecontext of activities organized by theMRD to protest about the forthcomingelections that the widespread arrestsoccurred.

Under martial law, in force inPakistan since July 1977, politicalparties and normal political activitieshave been formally banned. In Decem-ber 1984 the Penal Code was amended toprovide for a three-year prison sentencefor advocating a boycott of any refer-endum or election E

8 MARCH 1985

SU DA N —76-year-old 'Teacher' hangedbefore large crowd in KhartoumThe 76-year-old leader of theRepublican Brothers movement inSudan was hanged before a large crowdin Kober prison in Khartoum North on

18 January for the non-violent

expression of his opinions and beliefs.

Four other members of themovement, who had also been sentenced

to death, were forced to watch hisexecution — next day they publicly"repented" and were set free.

Mahmoud Mohamed Taha, known tohis supporters as Al-Ustaz (TheTeacher), and the four other membershad been sentenced to death forpreparing and distributing leafletscriticizing the government and itsapplication of Islamic law. They werearrested on 5 January, two weeks afterhe and about 50 other members of themovement had been released from 18months detention without trial — all hadhccn adopted by Al as prisoners ofconscience.

The Republican (or Jamhuriyya)movement, founded in 1945 and banned

by the authorities in 1969, advocates anew approach to Islam and has engaged

in non-violent political activities, such as

distributing leaflets and holding publicmeetings.

On 7 January, two days after theirarrest, the five prisoners went on trial in

Omdurman, charged with "under-mining (or subverting) theconstitution," which carries the deathpenalty or life imprisonment.

They admitted distributing leafletscalling for the repeal of the Islamic lawsintroduced in September 1983, whichthey said "distort Islam, humiliate thepeople and jeopardize national unity".The leaflets also appealed for a peacefulpolitical solution to the conflict in thesouth, and advocated an Islamic revival

based on the Sunna (the teachings of theProphet).

Peru debateContinued from page 1

people have been located, and that for

that reason would appreciate receivinginformation including "the names of the53 persons mentioned, as well as theciicumstances through which they were

located."Al's cable also stressed its hope that

most or all of the individuals reported tohave remained "disappeared" after

detention at the time the briefing was

prepared would reappear alive.• AI has sent the Peruvian Governmentcase outlines on another 70 peoplereported to have "disappeared" in theEmergency Zone on whom it hasreceived dossiers. It also sent the namesof 16 people reported to have"disappeared" whose bodies have sincebeen found.1 I

Mahmoud Mohamed Taha, 76, who washanged in Kober prison. His supporterscalled him "The Teacher".

The defendants, who refused to plead

to the charges or to participate in their

trial, were found guilty the next day andsentenced to death. The judge did not

explain how the charge and sentence

related to the substance of the leaflets.Al issued utgent appeals to President

Nimeiri protesting at the use of the deathpenalty for the non-violent expression ofopinions and beliefs.

On 16 January the Court of Appeal

confirmed the sentences, ruling thatMahmoud Taha and his four supporterswere guilty of "heresy" — advocatingan unacceptable form of Islam. It gavethe four men — Abdulatif OmerHasaballah, a journalist; Khalid BabikirHamza, a student; Mohamed SalimBashir, a shipping company employee;and Tajadin Abdulraziq, a textileworker, one month in which to "repent

or die."On 17 January President Nimeiri,

exercising his presidential review of thedeath sentences, confirmed them and cut

the repentance deadline to three days.The public execution of Mahmoud Taha

was fixed for the next day.,4 / publicly appealed to President

Nimeiri on 17 January to spare the livesof the five condemned men, who it saidwere prisoners of conscience who hadsimply been exercising the inter-nationally recognised right to express

their beliefs and opinions. It was

also deeply concerned that MahmoudTaha — a persistent critic of the

government — was apparently

condemned for "heresy," even though

he had not been charged with this.

Although heresy is not an offence under

Sudan's penal code, a decree inSeptember 1983 empowered judges toapply without restriction their

understanding of the teachings of Islam,in which heresy and apostasy areregarded as capital offences.

Mahmoud Taha's execution was thefirst in Sudan in recent history of areligious dissident or a prisoner of

conscience.The day after they had been forced to

watch their leader being hanged, theother four men appeared on television,publicly "repenting" their opposition tothe Islamic laws and declaringMahmoud Taha a heretic, as instructed.They were then freed.

Other Republican Brothers werearrested for demonstrating against thetrial and execution. The authoritiesstated that four others would also bebrought to trial, but at the time of

writing their trial had not started. Manymembers of the movement were putunder house-arrest and also pressed torecant and denounce Mahmoud Taha.

At the time ot writing four otherprisoners were being tried on charges

carrying the death penalty for non-violently expressing their opinions.I

Convention against Torturesigned by 21 statesRepresentatives of 21 states signed theConvention against Torture and Other

Cruel, Inhuman or DegradingTreatment or Punishment (see January1985 Newsletter) at a United Nationsceremony in New York marking the

opening of the document for signatures

on 4 February.The states represented were:

Afghanistan, Argentina, Belgium,

Bolivia, Costa Rica, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Finland,

France, Greece, Iceland, Italy,Net herlands, Norway, Portugal,Senegal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerlandand Uruguay.

By signing, these states have expressed

their intention to become parties to theConvention at some future date. Itcomes into force when 20 states do infact become parties, by ratifying it (ifthey have already signed) or acceding toit (if they have not).

The Convention defines torture as"any act by which severe pain orsuffering, whether physical or mental, is

intentionally inflicted on a person toobtain information or a confession; topunish, intimidate or coerce; or for anyreason based on discrimination of anykind, when such pain or suffering is

inflicted by or at the instigation of orwith the consent or acquiescence of a

person acting in an official capacity" E

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAI, PUBLICA-TIONS, 1 Easton Streo, Inndon WCI X 8DJ,

United Kingdom. Printed in Great Britain byShadowdean Limited, Unit B, Roan Estate.Mortimer Road, Mitcham, Surrey. Availableon subscription at £5 (USS12.50) per calendar

year. ISSN 0308 6887