EXTERNAL (for general distribution)AI Index: AMR 44/03/95

Distr: UA/SC

20 June 1995

Further information (1) on UA 95/95 (AMR 44/02/95, 19 April 95) - Excessive use of force/Legal-Medical concerns

PANAMATraslación Acosta, Vidal Concepción, Alejandro Jiménez, Fermín Franco Cortés, Silverio Pimentel, Enrique Concepción, Ana Acosta, Anselmo Acosta and Liborio Concepción.

All the above-mentioned people were released on 18 April except for the 12 year-old Anselmo Acosta who was released into the custody of a local indigenous land-owner Camilo Ortega. On 27 of April, the boy was returned to his family.

Since then, Amnesty International has been attempting to determine whether any charges remain against those originally detained. It has now learned that legal proceedings in connection with the case continue in the Fiscalía III, the Attorney General's Office in Veraguas province. Furthermore, some of those detained on 11 April 1995 must continue to report to the police in Santiago every weekend, which means they have to travel from the mountains to the city once a week.

Amnesty International has also been informed that as a result of international solidarity and pressure, a special commission, the Comisión Interinstitucional para estudios del anteproyecto de ley para la creación de la Comarca Ngobe-Buglés, Inter-institutional Commission to study the proposed law to create a Ngobe-Buglés region. This Commission has been established to study a draft law which would allow for the creation of a Ngobe-Buglés territory and will operate for a period of six months; it is due to present its report at the end of November 1995.

Amnesty International will continue to follow developments in the case, but no further action is required on behalf of Traslación Acosta, Vidal Concepción, Alejandro Jiménez, Fermín Franco Cortés, Silverio Pimentel, Enrique Concepción, Ana Acosta, Anselmo Acosta and Liborio Concepción for the moment.