AI Index: NWS 11/51/92

Distr: SC/PO

No. of words: 2203

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Amnesty International

International Secretariat

1 Easton Street

London WC1X 8DJ

United Kingdom

TO: PRESS OFFICERS

FROM: PRESS AND PUBLICATIONS

DATE: 22 DECEMBER 1992

WEEKLY UPDATE SERVICE 51/92

Contained in this weekly update are an external item on Brazil and three internal items on audio/visual information relating to Turkey, the EJE and Political Killings Campaign (Oct 1993) and sponsorship offer by Benetton.

Israel and the Occupied Territories

Please use the Urgent Action AI Index: MDE 15/32/92, sent out yesterday, and the three weekly update items sent out last week to deal with media enquiries on the issue of deported Palestinians. The UA was sent to international agencies by the IS Press Office last night.

NEWS INITIATIVES

Bosnia-Herzegovina - 21 January

The Swiss Section, in connection with the IS, is organizing a media event and briefing in Geneva as a conclusion to the letter-writing campaign for human rights in the Former Yugoslavia. We already have over 250,000 letters from around the world, which will be used for a visual photo opportunity - which should attract tv. The IS will be inviting the international media, including agencies, radio and television - you are encouraged to invite any of your media who may be interested in attending. We will be sending you more details as they are finalized - in the meantime, please contact Daniel Bolomey at the Swiss Section if you have any queries.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELEASES

Australia - 27 January

News release to go with document on Aboriginal deaths and ill-treatment in custody.

Japan - 10 March

A document and news release on refugee issues in Japan. We anticipate a high level of media interest in this news release.

TARGETED AND LIMITED NEWS RELEASES

Chad - 29 January(New Information)

An open letter is being planned to coincide with the National Conference in Chad. The IS will be sending it to specialist media, embargoed for 29 January.

Sri Lanka - 5 February(New Information)

A document is being finalised, following a recent mission to Sri Lanka, which will look at the government's implementation of our recommendations. A weekly update item will accompany it, embargoed for 5 February, which the IS will send to some media.

Brazil - 1600 hrs gmt 15 January 1993(New Information)

Please note that the embargo has been confirmed for 1600 hrs gmt, 15 January 1993. The weekly update item enclosed is to accompany a document about human rights violations against indigenous peoples in Brazil, which will be sent to you in the first weekly mailing of 1993. The document is to coincide with a concert for human rights in Brazil, scheduled for 17 January 1993 (see item for details). A spokesperson from the IS will be going to Brazil to deal with media there, and the IS will be sending the weekly update item to international media.

Racism and ill-treatment in Europe - 3 February

News release to go with Focus and campaign action on racist ill-treatment in Europe. The embargo has been confirmed as 3 February 1993.

SECTION INITIATIVES

Equatorial Guinea - 14 January

The Spanish Section has written a news release to accompany a document on Equatorial Guinea, which will be embargoed for 14 January. The document has been sent out to you in the weekly mailing. Please contact Cesar Díaz at the Spanish section for more information about the news release.

Weekly Update NWS 11/51/92

2. AMR 19/WU 02/92

EMBARGOED FOR 1600 HRS GMT, 15 JANUARY 1993

INTERNAL

Please note that this item is embargoed for 1600 hrs gmt on 15 January 1993 and will be sent to international agencies by the IS Press Office. An IS staff member will be going to Brazil to deal with media enquiries there.

__________________________________________________________________________

EXTERNAL

BRAZIL: INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES FACE HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS, AUTHORITIES FAIL TO ACT

Members of indigenous communities in Brazil have been abducted, tortured and killed for their lands or the resources on them, Amnesty International reports today. The international human rights organization is calling for an end to impunity for such crimes against Indians.

"These otherwise common crimes become human rights violations when they are committed with official collusion or acquiescence - the Brazilian state consistently fails to investigate them effectively or to bring those responsible to justice", said Amnesty International.

"As the pressure for minerals and timber increases, indigenous groups become more vulnerable to armed attack," said the organization in a report released today. "These attacks are often carried out by private agents, including gunmen hired by land claimants, timber merchants or mining interests. They have gone almost entirely unpunished - in fact, state level authorities have even colluded with them."

Police forces have themselves taken part in unauthorized raids on Indian areas and subjected men, women and children to beatings and ill-treatment. In case after case Brazilian authorities have failed to bring those responsible for these abuses to justice, failed to resolve land conflicts promptly and justly - and thus failed to prevent further abuses and tensions between the indigenous and non-indigenous population. In fact, this impunity has stimulated the escalation of violence, putting whole communities at risk, in spite of comprehensive guarantees for indigenous people enshrined in the Brazilian Constitution.

Amnesty International's report is the result of six months' field research into abuses against members of indigenous groups throughout Brazil - from the Macuxí on the plains of Roraima, to the Ticuna on the banks of the Solimoes, the Uru-eu-wau-wau in central Rondonia to the Guaraní in Mato Grosso do Sul - and includes information about abuses against isolated and recently contacted tribes.

"The situations of these groups are often very different from each other - some have been in contact with non-indigenous society since 1500, others live in isolation deep in Amazonia - but they all face the same risks from those coveting their lands," said Amnesty International. "They also face at best a uniform slowness and at worst the plain failure of the authorities to prosecute those responsible for killings, torture or abduction.

"The risks to these groups continues to escalate" Amnesty International said. On 1 December 1992, Domingo Paulino - a Gaviao Pukbye Indian and known opponent of granting timber permits - was shot dead in Maranhão. He had previously received death threats from loggers crossing his land into other indian areas. In Mato Grosso and Rondonia, the failure of police to take action against timber merchants' violent incursions against the Nambiquara has now directly exposed the Government Indian Agency's own staff - who defend the Nambiquara - to death threats from timber merchants. Other cases which have had profound effects on the indigenous community concerned, such as the massacre of 14 Ticuna Indians in 1988, are constantly stalled in the courts, calling into question the authorities' commitment to upholding the human rights of Brazil's indigenous peoples.

This is Amnesty International's first report to mark the United Nations International Year for the World's Indigenous Peoples. In 1992, Amnesty International published Human Rights Violations against Indigenous Peoples in the Americas as part of a program of activities attempting to curb human rights violations in the region. As part of these activities, internationally renowned Brazilian musician, Milton Nascimento, is performing a concert for Amnesty International on behalf of Indigenous Peoples on the beach in Santos, Brazil, on 17 January.

Weekly Update NWS 11/51/92

3. ACT 33/WU 03/92 INTERNAL

22 December 1992

EJE AND POLITICAL KILLINGS CAMPAIGN - OCTOBER 1993

In previous major campaigns the IS has produced an Electronic News Release, for use by TV news, and made available one campaign video for use by AI groups. This will not be the audio visual strategy pursued in this instance. Financial resources permitting, the IS will produce an Electronic News Release and a broadcast quality video of material directly related to all or most of the 12 cases who will form the focus of the campaign. These will be distributed to sections.

Our strategy for the provision of campaign videos will be slightly different from usual procedure. For this campaign we hope to be able to make available not one but a number of videos suitable for the campaigning work of local groups. The IS has already started searching for completed films which are suitable for distribution to sections. Now we are asking Section Press Officers to try to find programmes which may be of use during this campaign. If you know of any programmes which have been produced in the last two years which cover EJE's, "disappearances" or political killings in all or any of the countries covered in the campaign can you inform the IS of their existence, providing as much information as possible on both the subject matter and technical details (length, language, running time, producer, format of the Master etc) and, if possible, send us a viewing copy. If any sections have good contacts with TV companies or independent film producers we ask you to contact them to find out if they are currently producing or thinking of producing something on EJE's, "disappearances" or political killings and perhaps to suggest to them the production of a film on these subjects to link in with the campaign. If a film were to be made at our suggestion then the IS would do all we could to provide information and any video footage or stills at our disposal. If you know of any programmes which may be relevant to this campaign please contact either Adam Lloyd or John Darcy at the IS.

We would not necessarily need worldwide, non-broadcast, non-theatric rights to these productions. To help solve some of the translation and standard transfer problems we often encounter when distributing to sections we would not necessarily ask for global rights. (Although we may if the film is particularly good or if the producer is willing to give us global rights at no extra cost) Instead, we would ask for rights to distribute to language specific areas and named countries. For example, we would ask for rights to distribute videos in English to Anglophone countries, videos in French to Francophone countries and videos in Spanish to Spanish speaking countries etc.

We believe that this approach will give us a wider variety and better choice of video material for group use during this campaign.

Weekly Update NWS 11/51/92

4. EUR 44/WU 13/92 INTERNAL

22 December 1992

AUDIO-VISUAL NEWS

TURKEY: DUTCH SECTION VIDEO

Walls of Glass, a 50-minute documentary about the police and human rights in Turkey was broadcast on Dutch TV on 22 December. It is a co-production between the Dutch Section of AI and NOS TV, directed by Frans Hoeben. It follows two Dutch police officers who are members of the Dutch AI Police Group as they visit police stations in Ankara and Istanbul to investigate and discuss the attitudes of their Turkish colleagues to human rights.

The programme will be made available to AI sections for non-broadcast use by groups in 1993 through an Order Form to be distributed by the IS.

TV broadcast rights belong to NOS TV and it is likely that the Sales Department of NOS TV will be approaching TV stations in a number of countries in the near future with a view to selling it on a commercial basis. However, any additional efforts you can make to promote the programme with your local TV contacts would be most welcome. If there is a possibility that you can help organise a TV sale please contact Yanneke Tigschelaar, the audio-visual officer in the Dutch section. She will be happy to provide you with a VHS viewing copy of Walls of Glass and to discuss arrangements for urgent distribution of the programme in advance of the formal Order Form being sent from the IS. She will also be willing to act as an intermediary between TV stations in your country and NOS TV to ensure that broadcast-quality copies are dispatched efficiently.

In addition, the Dutch section has recently made three TV spots designed specifically for a young audience. If you would like viewing copies of these to be sent at the same time as viewing copies of Walls of Glass please inform Yanneke Tigschelaar.

Weekly Update NWS 11/51/92

5. ACT 83/WU 01/92 INTERNAL

22 December 1992

BENETTON SPONSORSHIP

The IEC has decided that AI should not accept the offer made by the clothing manufacturers, Benetton, to have a joint advertising campaign against the death penalty. The IEC ruled that under the terms proposed by Benetton this would violate the first principle of the IEC's own guidelines for acceptance of sponsorship for AI. The full guidelines are as follows:

1.AI should not allow its logo to be used in association with the logo or name of any other company or donor.

2.AI should not be identified with or be seen to be promoting any product.

3.During the project, the artists should not act as promoters of or spokespersons for companies, products or donors.

4.Similarly, there should be no on-stage talk that links human rights and products.

5.AI would prefer to receive support or contributions of a specific nature for elements of the project, rather than general support which risks being interpreted as sponsorship.

6.AI would prefer to have a mix of corporate or other contributors from different countries and areas of enterprise rather than depending only on a small number of major donors.

7.AI would prefer that acknowledgement of such contributions be made publicly by the concert organisers, rather than by AI (this would affect acknowledgements in concert programs and promotional materials).

8.Stadium signage is acceptable (not on stage) within normal practice for such events; AI would prefer that the signage not dominate any venue.