 |
International Emergency Committee to
BCM-IEC, 27 Old Gloucester Street |
|
International Emergency Committee to
BCM-IEC, 27 Old Gloucester Street |
The 7th IEC delegation held a press conference in Lima this morning. Initial reports are that it went very well. Nine television crews (including three major international outlets), and numerous print journalists attended. Delegates read the following statement and answered questions from the media. The delegates reported seeing coverage of the press conference on their hotel room television this evening. We expect to receive further updates on the work of the delegation soon. Reminder: funds are urgently needed to cover the expenses of this ongoing delegation now in Lima (please make checks payable to "IEC").
Lima, March 29, 2001
Message to the Peruvian People
We send our warmest greetings to the People of Peru, whose history, traditions and customs we admire very much. Our presence here is an expression of the respect that we feel towards one of the nations that has made important contributions to humanity.This seventh delegation of the International Emergency Committee, like the previous ones, takes up a mission of the very highest importance: To put an end to the serious situation of isolation imposed upon Dr. Abimael Guzman Reinoso and other political prisoners in the prison of El Callao. We are also deeply concerned about the treatment of all political prisoners in the prisons of Peru.
A lot of people in all parts of the world have their eyes on what this delegation is doing; they care deeply about the fate of Dr. Guzman and the other 4,000 political prisoners.
It is clear that our presence here does not represent interference in the internal affairs of the Peruvian people, but rather an attempt to redeem the principle of the human rights inherent to every person.
No one ought to be subjected to such extremely cruel treatment, such as being held prisoner without contact with relatives, friends and even legal advisors for more than eight years, as has been the case with Dr. Guzman.
Now that the dictatorship of Fujimori and Montesinos has fallen, there is a possibility of overcoming a whole set of violations of international standards in the treatment of political prisoners. These violations include the sentencing of civilians by military tribunals, their incarceration in prisons that degrade human dignity, and the terrible effects of total isolation with all kinds of abuse like that suffered by Dr. Guzman.
The recent changes are an opportunity for the new Peruvian authorities to implement a different policy in the treatment of Dr. Guzman and the other political prisoners. In fact, Peru has returned to the jurisdiction of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, where we have taken legal actions in defence of Peruvian political prisoners. We are encouraged by the hope that it will now be possible to address these questions within the realm of international norms, without the institutionalised violence and repression of the Fujimori-Montesinos dictatorship.
In this seventh visit, we have gone to the civilian and military authorities demanding to meet with Dr. Abimael Guzman and verify his state of health and well being, and we have expectations of being able to achieve this.
The concerns about Dr. Guzman's state of health, which come from all corners of the world, are even more important because the Fujimori-Montesinos dictatorship used his isolation to claim to speak in his name. It is unacceptable to attribute declarations to Dr. Guzman as long as he does not make them in a direct form before the mass media and without any kind of pressure. No government has the authority to speak on behalf of its political prisoners. And of course, the only way to verify the government's claims of changes regarding his treatment is for Dr. Guzman to be able to express himself in person.
Lima, March 29, 2001
Members of the IEC Delegation
Jaime Bonilla, Ph.D. [Colombia]
University professor and international human rights activist.Peter Erlinder [United States]
Professor of Law, former President of the National Lawyers Guild (NewYork), founder of the National Coalition for the Protection of Political Liberties (Washington), professor at the William Mitchell College of Law in Saint Paul (Minnesota).Haluk Gerger [Turkey]
Founding member of the Turkish Human Rights Association, retired scholar of International Relations, writer and journalist.José Enrique González Ruiz [México]
Professor at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, member of the National Front of Democratic Lawyers (Mexico) and of the American Association of Jurists.Juan José Landinez [Colombia]
Defence Lawyer in cases concerning human rights.Heriberto Ocasio, Medical Doctor [United States]
Activist in the International Emergency Committee to Defend the Life of Dr. Abimael Guzman in the United States.Padma Ratna Tuladhar [Nepal]
Former minister of Health and Labour in Nepal, member of the Nepalese Parliament, Chairman of the Forum for Protection of Human Rights, founder of the "Save Democracy Movement" of Nepal.
