5 October 2000

AI Index: AMR/020/2000

Chile: End of Mission Press Conference

Press Conference

11 a m (local time), Friday 6 October 2000

Sala Ercilla de la Biblioteca Nacional, Alameda No. 651, Santiago, Chile

At a press conference to mark the end of Amnesty International’s five-day visit to Chile, the organization’s Secretary General, Pierre Sané, will welcome assurances received from President Ricardo Lagos that the government will not interfere in the judicial process involving Augusto Pinochet and others in gross violations of human rights.

The organization has also requested that the government ensure the cooperation of the Armed Forces in the clarification of the whereabouts of the "disappeared" and the identification of those responsible.

The organization was encouraged by the government’s acceptance of its proposals to draft a Human Rights National Program of Action as recommended by the Vienna World Conference on Human Rights in 1993. However, the organization remains concerned about a number of human rights issues that Amnesty International included in a letter that was handed over to President Lagos. This includes ongoing reports of torture and ill-treatment, the 1978 Amnesty Law, the jurisdiction of Military Courts over civilians and military personnel accused of human rights violations, the death penalty, abuses against Mapuche and other indigenous peoples, the situation of women, refugees and immigrants, and the lack of recognition of conscientious objection in the military service.

Background

During its five-day visit, Amnesty International's delegation met a broad spectrum of government authorities, human rights organizations and individuals.