_________________________________________________________________________

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

NEWS SERVICE 120/94

___________________________________________________________________________

TO: PRESS OFFICERSAI INDEX: NWS 11/120/94

FROM: IS PRESS OFFICEDISTR: SC/PO

DATE: 9 JUNE 1994 NO OF WORDS:907

NEWS SERVICE ITEMS: EXTERNAL - ALBANIA, MOZAMBIQUE

PLEASE NOTE: For further information on the death sentences awarded in Kuwait to 6 men alleged of participation in attempted assassination of President Bush see follow up to UA 180/93, AI INDEX: MDE 17/05/94.

PLEASE NOTE: Early next week a news item will be sent to you on the question of impunity, based on letter being drafted to President Mandela and his Minister of Justice by the S. Africa research team at the IS.

NEWS INITIATIVES - INTERNAL

INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELEASES

USA - 14 June - SEE NEWS SERVICE 114/94

Turkey - 22 June - SEE NEWS SERVICES 118/94 AND 104/94

Pakistan - 27 July - PLEASE NOTE NEW DATE. SEE NEWS SERVICE 81/94

TARGETED AND LIMITED NEWS RELEASES

**Denmark - 21 June** - PLEASE NOTE ANOTHER CHANGE OF EMBARGO DATE. Apologies for the numerous changes to the embargo date. This is the final date. SEE NEWS SERVICES 118/94 AND 105/94

Mozambique - 23 June - SEE ENCLOSED ITEM, SEE NEWS SERVICE 115/94

Myanmar - 20 July - SEE NEWS SERVICE 99/94

FORTHCOMING NEWS INITIATIVES

Annual Report - 7 July - SEE NEWS SERVICE 51/94

News Service 120/94

AI INDEX: EUR 11/WU 01/94

9 JUNE 1994

ALBANIA: CLARIFICATION SOUGHT ON ARREST OF SIX MEMBERS OF GREEK MINORITY

Amnesty International today wrote to the Albanian Procurator General, asking for more information about the arrest and investigation of six members of the Greek minority organization, "Omonia", who have been held in Tirana since their arrest two months ago.

The Procurator General's office issued a statement on 19 May saying the men were being investigated on charges of possessing arms without licence under Article 224 of the Criminal Code; unconstitutional activities and contacts with agents of the Greek secret services.

However, it did not clarify what articles of the Albanian Criminal Code had been invoked in the case of the latter two offenses, nor was it clear whether all six were being investigated on all these charges.

In its letter, Amnesty International requested details on which articles of the Albanian Criminal Code had been invoked in each of the six cases and what the precise charges against each of them were.

The international human rights organization also requested clarification as to whether the six have had access to lawyers throughout the investigation, and in particular during questioning by investigators.

According to information received by Amnesty International in May, only one of them had been visited by a lawyer and all six were being questioned by investigators without the presence of a lawyer.

The organization also raised its concerns about reports that at the time of the arrest of the six men, "Omonia" offices and the homes of members of the Greek minority in Gjirokaster, Delvine and Sarande were searched by police, often without warrant. There have also been complaints that members of the Greek minority have been threatened by police during questioning about their alleged contacts with the six.

ENDS\

News Service 120/94

AI INDEX: AFR 41/WU 01/94

EMBARGOED FOR 23 JUNE 1994

Mozambique: UN police provided with human rights guide

In the crucial run-up to Mozambique's general elections set for October, Amnesty International is issuing a pocket reference on human rights this week to more than 1,000 United Nations civilian police observers, as well as to thousands of Mozambican police.

Next week, the first ever on-site human rights training course will begin for about 40 of the UN civilian police observers, or "CIVPOLs", sent by countries ranging from Botswana and Brazil to Norway, Sweden and Sri Lanka. These 40 will then become trainers on human rights standards for the ultimate force of 1,144 UN civilian police who are being deployed throughout Mozambique to monitor human rights.

Amnesty International is giving these monitors and Mozambican officers a pocket-sized card outlining 10 basic rules of law enforcement and a booklet explaining the rules in greater detail. These rules include protecting all persons, especially women and children, from violence; treating victims of violence with respect; protecting all detainees against torture and ill-treatment; and reporting all breaches of the rules to senior officers.

"The Mozambique peace process is fragile and good human rights monitoring can make a big difference in the period before the October elections," Amnesty International said. "These reference cards are tools to help the police in their duty to uphold the human rights and political freedoms of all Mozambicans during this critical time."

In addition, the UN CIVPOLs will receive Amnesty International's latest report on the country, Mozambique: Monitoring human rights -- the task of UN police observers. The report includes a summary of human rights provisions in the General Peace Agreement, which ended 15 years' of civil war that left hundreds of thousands of people dead and millions displaced.

The Amnesty International report documents numerous human rights violations by government soldiers and members of the Resistência Nacional Moçambicana (RENAMO). These abuses include beatings and killings of prisoners by both sides. Of equal concern are the many reports of beatings, extrajudicial executions and other human rights violations by Mozambican police.

Amnesty International recognizes that Mozambican police face a difficult task trying to control rampant crime and sometimes confronting civil disorder during demonstrations and strikes that began in the wake of the 1990 introduction of multi-party politics and increased political freedom.

At the same time, the police in Mozambique are poorly selected, trained and disciplined. All of these factors can provide the opportunity for human rights violations. Amnesty International's pocket reference on human rights could, in conjunction with a broader human rights training program, contribute to overcoming such deficiencies.

ENDS/