AI Index: NWS 11/44/91

Distr: SC/PO

No. of words: 1590

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Amnesty International

International Secretariat

1 Easton Street

London WC1X 8DJ

United Kingdom

TO: PRESS OFFICERS

FROM: PRESS AND PUBLICATIONS

DATE: 21 NOVEMBER 1991

WEEKLY UPDATE SERVICE 44/91

Contained in this weekly update are external items on Morocco, Bhutan,

Austria and UK hostage Terry Waite and an internal item about the

International Newsletter.

1. NEWS INITIATIVES - INTERNAL

27 November - Refugee concerns in Europe

You have been sent a report on our concerns about the treatment of asylum

seekers in Europe in the context of European political and economic

harmonization. Could you please also ensure that your section refugee

coordinators are aware of this news release and publication date.

Uganda - 4 December (New information)

Uganda - The National Resistance Army and human rights violations

AFR 59/20/91

Targeted news release on abuses by the national army. This has now been

confirmed, although is a bit late being approved. It should come to you

this week.

Myanmar - 10 December

International news release on abuses in Myanmar, timed to coincide with

both Human Rights Day and Aung San Suu Kyi receiving the Nobel Peace Prize.

Ghana - 18 December

Ghana - Political imprisonment and the death penalty

Targeted news release for African media to go with our first major report

on Ghana in recent times.

Weekly Update NWS 11/44/91

2. MDE 29/WU 13/91 EXTERNAL

21 November 1991

INTERNAL

Abraham Serfaty, one of AI's 30th anniversary cases, visited London 20 - 22

October. He spoke at the Service of the Dedication of Amnesty

International's 30th Anniversary held at Southwark Cathedral on 21 October

and visited the International Secretariat on 22 October. The following

contains quotes taken from his speech to IS staff. More information about

Abraham Serfaty can be found in Weekly Update NWS 11/29/91.

His comments were both audio and video taped: it is not possible to

distribute copies to all sections but if you have a special project and

could use this material, please contact the IS press office.

EXTERNAL

MOROCCO - RELEASED PRISONER OF CONSCIENCE TALKS TO AI

Abraham Serfaty, one of the longest-serving prisoners of conscience in

Morocco, was released from prison on 13 September 1991, after 17 years'

imprisonment. He was immediately expelled to France, where he now lives.

On 22 October 1991 he told Amnesty International how he was held in a

secret torture camp for 14 months before being brought to trial. "I

suffered very hard torture for the first two months and after that I

suffered harassment. Sometimes they put me under a very strong light,

because they knew I had sensitive eyes.

"I can tell you that on the day of 4 January 1975, almost two months

after my arrest, I only wanted suicide."

After his trial, Abraham Serfaty was held in total isolation for 22

months, seeing his family for only half an hour each week and being

deprived of political news.

"The first Amnesty International letters that came to me were from

Austria in 1977 when I was held in complete isolation, which means total

darkness. Into this darkness these letters finally came and there was

light - the light of life - and this is the most important thing that

Amnesty is doing all over the world.

"You are human beings, and we do not talk about human rights, we just

exchange human letters. By this exchange, the concept itself of human

rights becomes part of our flesh and of our hearts. I have seen this very

concretely in Morocco.

"I am in a Marxist organization and the tendency in Marxist

organizations all over the world is to say human rights is a bourgeois

concept. Well, for us the concept of human rights struck, it became

concrete and living through Amnesty's letters. This did not come from

theory, but from life -- life through Amnesty's letters -- and I have to

thank you for that. Thank you."

Weekly Update NWS 11/44/91

3. MDE 02/WU 01/91 EXTERNAL

21 November 1991

INTERNAL

The Anglican church envoy Terry Waite, held hostage in Lebanon for nearly

five years, made the following statement during a speech upon his arrival

in the United Kingdom on 19 November. If you want to use this comment you

should keep in mind that his remarks are about the impact of letters in

general, and do not refer to any specific AI action on his behalf.

_________________________________________________________________________

EXTERNAL

RELEASED HOSTAGE TALKS ABOUT POWER OF LETTERS

"I was kept in total and complete isolation for four years. I saw no one

and spoke to no one apart from a cursory word with my guards when they

brought me food.

And one day out of the blue a guard came with a postcard. It was a

postcard showing a stained glass window from Bedford showing John Bunyan in

jail.

And I looked at that card and I thought, "My word Bunyan you're a

lucky fellow. You've got a window out of which you can look, see the sky

and here am I in a dark room. You've got your own clothes and a table and a

chair."

And I turned the card over and there was a message from someone whom

I didn't know simply saying, "We remember, we shall not forget. We shall

continue to pray for you and to work for all the people who are detained

around the world."

I can tell you, that thought, that sent me back to the marvellous

work of agencies like Amnesty International and their letter-writing

campaigns and I would say never despise those simple actions.

Something, somewhere will get through to the people you are concerned

about as it got through to my fellows eventually."

Weekly Update NWS 11/44/91

4. ASA 14/WU 01/91 EXTERNAL

21 November 1991

BHUTAN: AI DELEGATES VISIT NEPAL TO INTERVIEW REFUGEES

Two delegates from Amnesty International are visiting Nepal during the last

two weeks of November to interview Nepali-speaking Bhutanese living in

refugee camps in Jhapa District, eastern Nepal. Amnesty International is

concerned at reports that thousands of Nepali-speaking Bhutanese from

southern Bhutan have left the country in order to escape from torture and

other human rights violations committed during operations being carried out

by the Royal Bhutanese army and police.

Weekly Update NWS 11/44/91

5. EUR 13/WU 01/91 EXTERNAL

21 November 1991

INTERNAL

This Weekly Update item is embargoed for 0001 HRS GMT Thursday 5 December

1991, as it is being used as a news release by some European Sections. If

you do wish to use it, please do not release it before Thursday 5 December.

EXTERNAL

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL WELCOMES MEASURES TO COMBAT ILL-TREATMENT BY AUSTRIAN

POLICE, BUT CALLS FOR FURTHER ACTION

Amnesty International said today (Thursday 5 December) that the Austrian

Government's record on combating physical violence against people held in

police custody had been "mixed".

Since the human rights organization issued a report last year about a

pattern of physical abuse of police detainees, the Austrian Government has

announced measures to safeguard people held in custody -- such as

unannounced visits by police doctors to police stations, to make on-the-

spot examinations of detainees, and changes in police disciplinary

procedures.

New government measures also aim to address the problem of people

being deterred from complaining about ill-treatment by the practice of

instituting criminal proceedings against complainants -- a particular

target of Amnesty International's criticism.

"We welcome the steps taken so far to stop abuse in police custody,"

Amnesty International said, "but think that the measures aren't always

followed or don't go far enough to protect detainees."

In a new report released today, the organization said it continued to

receive allegations of ill-treatment, in some cases amounting to torture,

such as beatings and burnings with lighted cigarettes.

Amnesty International is particularly concerned about the use of

physical violence by the police to obtain confessions or other evidence

relevant to criminal offences and at the apparent reluctance of the

Austrian Government to take additional, relatively simple measures to

combat this, for example the tape-recording of interrogations of police

suspects. The organization is still concerned at the lack of adequate

safeguards against ill-treatment, the lack of public confidence in the

mechanisms by which complaints about ill-treatment can be made and at the

insufficient implementation of the provisions of the UN Convention against

Torture.

Weekly Update NWS 11/44/91

6. NWS 20/WU 01/91 INTERNAL

21 November 1991

NEWSLETTER: CHANGE TO PRISONER OF THE MONTH (POM) PAGE

Attention all Newsletter editors

The Yokohama ICM decided (decision 42) that the POM page of the Newsletter

should be changed from January 1992 to reflect AI's wider mandate rather

than focus on solely on prisoners of conscience. Accordingly, there will no

longer be a POM page with three prisoner of conscience appeal cases.

Instead, we plan to have a "Worldwide Appeals" page. The general rule will

be to have one prisoner of conscience appeal and two other appeal cases

reflecting other parts of the mandate. Thus for January the International

Newsletter will have a prisoner of conscience case (Saudi Arabia), an

extrajudicial execution case (Haiti) and a case of "disappearance" (Sri

Lanka). A new logo is being designed, with a new standard text at the top

of the page. Thus under the heading "Worldwide Appeals", the text will be:

"An appeal from you to the authorities can help the victims of human

rights violations whose stories are told below.

"You can help free a prisoner of conscience or stop torture. Your

appeal can bring liberty to a victim of 'disappearance'. You may prevent

an execution.

"The victims are many, the violations wide-ranging. Every appeal

counts. Who to write to is specified at the end of each story."

The cases will be sent as usual with other Newsletter material. As

with the previous POM page cases we will ensure an overall geopolitical

balance.

Please bring this item to the attention of all Newsletter editors,

editorial boards and approvers.