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AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

NEWS SERVICE 169/94

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TO: PRESS OFFICERSAI INDEX: NWS 11/169/94

FROM: IS PRESS OFFICEDISTR: SC/PO

DATE: 1 AUGUST 1994 NO OF WORDS:1303

NEWS SERVICE ITEMS: EXTERNAL - TADZHIKSTAN (This item is not being sent to international media by the IS press office, but the research team is sending it to their contacts), SOUTH/NORTH KOREA (this item is FOR RESPONSE ONLY, it is particularly for use by the South Korean and Japanese sections as they have had a lot of media queries about the press conference for the Asia-Pacific Groupings meeting), HAITI (This item is being sent to international media by the IS).

PLEASE NOTE: Several opportunities for press work regarding Rwanda and Burundi are coming up, though they are yet to be confirmed with the mission in the field. Tomorrow, (Tuesday 2 August) or the next day, the IS press office may be able to arrange telephone interviews for your key national media interested in speaking with Mike Dottridge, Africa Programme Director at IS and leader of the Burundi mission. We are waiting for Mike to call in and confirm. By Friday 5 August, Mike will be back in London and available on that day for interviews. We are planning to have a news release based on new information sent to you in the news service by 4 August.

The mission for Rwanda has just left today and will be in Kigali, if all goes well, on Thursday 4 August. From 5 August to 10 August, they plan to be in Kigali and may be available for media interviews. the leader of that mission, Anita Klum, will be judging the situation first before allowing delegates to speak. A press conference on 18 or 19 August is being planned in London.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELEASES

** Colombia - 5 August ** - SEE ITEM SENT OUT IN NEWS SERVICE 157/94. Please note that there may be some changes to this item, I will let you know what these are as soon as possible.

Kosovo - 20 September - SEE NEWS SERVICE 137/94

Algeria - first week of October - SEE NEWS SERVICE 137/94

France - ** 12 October** - SEE NEWS SERVICE 137/94

TARGETED AND LIMITED NEWS RELEASES

Bhutan/Nepal - 25 August - See news service 168/94

Brazil - 14 September - SEE NEWS SERVICE 137/94

Togo -15 September - See news service 168/94

Indonesia - 28 September - LAUNCH OF CAMPAIGN

News Service 169/94

AI INDEX: EUR 60/WU 02/94

1 AUGUST 1994

TADZHIKISTAN: AI CONCERNED ABOUT FATE OF CAPTURED GOVERNMENT SOLDIERS

Rebel forces have reportedly killed some of the Tadzhik government soldiers they have been holding since late last month, according to Amnesty International.

On 21 July a group of up to 200 opposition fighters attacked a unit of government soldiers near the town of Tavildara, capturing about 56 of them. The district around Tavildara, which is close to the border with Afghanistan, is the main area of opposition insurgent activity.

Four days later, "official sources" reportedly stated that according to two of the captured soldiers who had managed to escape said between 10 and 15 of the prisoners had been killed by their captors -- although it was not clear in what circumstances these killings occurred.

"If these reports are true then these killings are a violation of international humanitarian standards, which forbid governments and opposition forces to harm those who are wounded, captured or seeking to surrender, or to take hostages.", Amnesty International said today.

The human rights organization is calling on the self-proclaimed Republic of Tadzhikistan "government-in-exile" to ensure that all its armed forces, or those acting with its approval, respect the Geneva Conventions and other international standards on human rights.

A large-scale military operation in the last week of July failed to locate the surviving captives. The Government of Tadzhikistan has so far rejected speculation that they may have been taken across the border into Afghanistan.

Since their defeat in Tadzhikistan's 1992 civil war, armed groups loyal to the coalition of the now-outlawed Democratic and Islamic Renaissance parties, which has proclaimed a "government-in-exile" based in Afghanistan, have been fighting an insurgency against forces of the government in Dushanbe and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) peace-keepers.

The rebels have launched continuous border raids from bases in northern Afghanistan, and have reportedly infiltrated the mountainous areas of eastern and central Tadzhikistan.

News Service 169/94

AI INDEX: ASA 25/WU 04/94

1 AUGUST 1994

NORTH/SOUTH KOREA: AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL'S CONCERNS

Amnesty International called on governments in the region to live up to their human rights obligations and to match their economic growth with development of their human rights legislation and education, at a press conference in Seoul following a meeting of the organization's Asia-Pacific membership.

"It's incumbent on all people in the region to hold their governments responsible, not only for human rights violations but also for the statements and promises they make, to correct and enforce the fundamental recognition of human rights," Amnesty International said.

During the press conference, Hervé Berger, Deputy Secretary General of Amnesty International, was asked about the organization's human rights concerns in North and South Korea. He referred to a report about political prisoners in North Korea, which was previously published by the International Secretariat in London in June.

Mr Berger also referred Amnesty International's human rights concerns in South Korea, unfortunately largely ignored by the South Korean press.

Amnesty International is particularly concerned about the use of the National Security Law in South Korea to curb the rights of freedom of expression and association. The human rights organization has repeatedly called on the South Korean government to amend this law and to release all prisoners of conscience.

The organization recently expressed its concern to the South Korean Government about the arrests of students and dissidents for mourning the late North Korean president, Kim Il Sung.

For further information about Amnesty International's reports on human rights concerns in South and North Korea, please contact the International Secretariat, 1 Easton Street, London WC1X 8DJ, United Kingdom. Tel: (44) (71) 413 5500 Fax: (44) (71) 956 1157.

News Service 169/94

AI INDEX: AMR 36/WU 06/94

1 AUGUST 1994

HUMAN RIGHTS IGNORED IN UN RESOLUTION TO ALLOW ARMED INTERVENTION IN HAITI

Amnesty International today reacted with deep concern to the complete absence of any reference to the protection of human rights in the United Nations Security Council resolution adopted yesterday authorizing a United States-led intervention in Haiti.

The human rights organization last week called on members of the Security Council to spell out in the resolution the minimum human rights standards that should be respected in military force intervening in Haiti.

"It's an ominous sign that the phrase 'protection of human rights' is not used even once in the text of Resolution 940," Amnesty International said.

The UN Security Council and other countries joining the US-led military intervention will share the responsibility for any human rights violations committed by troops that occur as a result of such an operation, according to Amnesty International.

Amnesty International points out that some previous UN-authorized interventions have led to hundreds of casualties, including women and children, at the hands of troops involved. Such cases raise the concern that violations of human rights may occur in a similar manner in a possible intervention in Haiti.

Amnesty International does not favour or oppose armed intervention but the organization calls on the UN to make sure that all personnel of any military forces acting with UN authorization adhere to the highest international humanitarian and human rights standards at all times. The human rights organization also calls on all relevant UN bodies -- including the group of UN observers charged with monitoring the multinational force authorized in yesterday's resolution -- to verify compliance with these standards.

"A long-term plan for promoting human rights must also be on the UN's agenda or the issue of human rights may be lost in the aftermath of a possible intervention," Amnesty International said. "If the goal of the international community is 'the restoration of democracy', then the fundamental rights of the Haitian people must be at the forefront of any resolutions by the UN -- now and in the future."

ENDS\