amnesty international newsletter Vol. IV No. 1 Januar 1974 Founded 1961 CONFEROCT FOR 1WE ABOLITION OF TORTURE AI SETS UP NEW DEPARTMENT TO IMPLEMENT PARIS ACTION PROPOSALS AFTER TWO-DAY MEETING BRANDS TORTURE 'CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY' AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL's Conference for the Abolition of Torture ended its meeting in Paris 10- 11 December by branding torture as a crime against humanity and adopting proposals for a broad program of action to end its systematic use by governments and their agencies. More than 250 participants from 40 countries attended the conference which was held in the Tour Olivier de Serres, to which the meeting was transferred after UNESCO withdrew the use of its own headquarters at the last minute (see page 2). They backed a series of recommendations for bring- ing anti-torture pressure on governments, int- ernational governmental, non-governmental and inter-governmental organizations, and national . DECLARATION groups and individuals most directly involved The Paris Conference unanimously passed the with the problem, such as police, lawyers, doc- following declaration supporting the Novem- tors and military personnel. ber UN resolution which condemned torture The Conference's medical commission, one of and called on all governments to obey in- four which devised the program, promptly put ternational conventions forbidding it: We three hundred delegates and partici- some of its own recommendations into practice pants in the International Conference for by establishing three action committees, inclu- the Abolition of Torture meeting in Paris, ding a register of medical experts ready to un- 10-11 December 1973, note with indignation dertake on the spot investigations into allega- and extreme anxiety the growing use and in- tions of torture anywhere in the world. stitutionalization of torture throughout Amnesty International announced at the end of the world, facts which have now been offi- the Conference that it was setting up a new de- partment within the International Secretariat cially recognized by the General Assembly of the United Nations in Resolution 3059 in London to implement all the decisions and (XXVIII). carry the global campaign against torture into We solemnly declare that: its next phase. AI launched an appeal for funds The use of torture is a violation of to finance the new drive. It called on govern- all principles of human freedom and of the ments, professional and trade union organiza- life and dignity of the human person, and tions, businesses, churches, charitable trusts as such must be identified as a crime and individuals to contribute money so that the against humanity. effort to eradicate torture would continue un- There can never be any justification abated. for torture. It creates an escalation of COMMISSION RECOMMENDATIONS violence in the internal affairs of states. In addition to the medical commission there It spreads like a contagious disease from were Conference commissions on identification country to country. It has lasting effects of the individuals and institutions responsible on the mental and physical health of the for torture, on the socio-economic and politi- victim and brutalizes the torturer. cal factors behind the practice, and on inter- It is our fundamental duty as human national, regional and national legal factors. beings to express what is surely the con- Among their many recommendations were that: science of mankind and eradicate this evil. all military, police and prison personnel be provided with an international code of prac- We call upon all governments to respect, implement and improve their own national tice forbidding the use of torture in all cir- and international laws prohibiting torture cumstances, including counter-insurgency situ- and to comply with UN Resolution 3059 (XX- ations. Governments would be required to punish VIII); we also call upon individuals and firmly those who breached the code. organizations with moral, political, reli- technical assistance and military, para-mi- gious and professional responsibility to litary and economic aid be stopped to countries give an active lead to the campaign to abo- practicing torture. lish torture throughout the world.) pending success of current efforts to esta- blish an international court of criminal just- ice, there should be international tribunals, or other recognized international organizations independent of governments, to conduct public to conduct on the spot inquiries into allega- hearings into allegations of torture, with de- tions of torture. fence safeguards for accused persons and insti- - all states that have not done so yet should tutions. sign and ratify existing international treaties channels be established for medical, legal against torture, particularly the UN Interna- • 2 Amnest International Newsletter Januar 1974 tional Covenants on Human Rights. All statesence Report will be published at the end of should, under the Covenants, accept the juris-January. diction of the Human Rights Committee to re- ceive and examine communications from states UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY NAMES SEAN MacBRIDE or individuals claiming to be victims of viola- AS NEW COMMISSIONER FOR NAMIBIA tions of these rights. SEAN MacBRIDE, Chairman AI'sof Interna- judges should be obliged to examine closelytional Executive Committee, has been named all allegations of torture and not admit evi- United Nations Commissioner for Namibia. dence obtained as a result of torture. His appointment was approved by the General professional legal bodies should aid, and aAssembly on 18 December. special fund should be established for, lawyers Mr MacBride, a former Irish Minister for in their own and other countries who are perse-External Affairs, will discuss details of cuted for defending political dissidents or forthe appointment with UN Secretary General drawing attention to acts of torture. KURT WALDHEIM in New York on 8 January. the production and sale of torture instru-Among the topics will be Mr MacBride's re- ments as well as training in torture techniqueslationship withAI and other international for whatever reason should be forbidden. organizations with which he is associated medical, scientific, technical and associa-after he takes up his new appointment on 1 ted personnel should refuse to allow their pro-February. Mr MacBride has been Chairman of fessional or research skills and findings to beAI since it was founded. used for torture. Earlier in December Mr MacBride was nomi- doctors should refuse to commit persons to nated to a commission being set up by the mental hospitals as a means of avoiding due UN to investigate reports of atrocities in process of law. Mozambique. doctors, lawyers and others who know of in- stances of torture should report them to their national or international organizations. UNESCO BAN FAILS TO HALT CONFERENCE CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY A last-minute withdrawal by UNESCO of the use The final Conference report by Ambassador ED-of meeting halls in its Paris headquarters fai- VARD HAMBRO of Norway, former President of theled to disrupt the Conference for the Abolition UN General Assembly, was preceded by a solemnof Torture which opened on schedule 10 December. declaration by the delegates that torture a UNESCO blamed its action on Amnestythe Inter- crime against humanity (Iireepage 1). national Report on Torture(DecemberNewsletter) "Wemust realize that a crime against humani-which discussPs allegations of torture received ty means also a crime against every one of us,against more than 65 countries over the past 10 a crime against you and me," Ambassador Hambroyears and which it alleged was a conference doc- said. "Every time a helpless individual is be-ument by virtue of a statement appearing on the ing tortured, our own dignity is being dimini-first page. Under UNESCO regulations and the shed and degraded." terms of the contract for facilities which A/ The Conference, which was covered by more signed last April, member states may not be cri- than 100 individual journalists and radio andticized inside UNESCO House or in documentation television teams from all over the world, wasfor conferences held there. opened by SEAN MacBRIDE, ChairmanAI's of In- AI denied categorically that the statement ternational Executive Committee and of the Con-that the report "was designed to provide basic ference itself. He told the delegates that thesource material for Amnesty's Conference for the November UN resolution unanimously condemningAbolition of Torture in Paris in December 1973" torture (DecemberNewsletter)was more import- constituted a breach of contract. It noted that ant toAI than UNESCO's withdrawal of confer- the phrase had been employed in connection with ence facilities. the report since the campaign was launched in The Conference also was addressed by formerDecember 1972 - four months before the UNESCO Greek government minister GEORGE MANGAKIS, him-contract was signed. self a torture victim, and former Indian gov- AI Chairman SEAN MacBride said he believed ernment minister Mrs LAKSHMI MENON, who was onepressure from "some governments whose practices of her country's representatives in Paris whenare exposed in the report" prompted the cancel- the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights lation. Within 48 hours of the UNESCO decision, was proclaimed there on 10 December 1948. AI'sFrench Section found an alternative confer- Messages of support were read out from UN ence site in the large and modern Tour Olivier Secretary General KURT WALDHEIM, President KEN-de Serres, and preparations went on and were NETH KAUNDA of Zambia, Chancellor WILLY BRANDTcompleted without interruption. of West Germany, and the Prime Ministers and Governments of Australia, Austria, Canada, Den-ANTI-TORTURE PETITION 'WIRED' TO UN mark, Finland, New Zealand, Norway and Sweden.Seven officers and leading partipants of the There were also messages from prominent churchParis Conference signed a.certificate 10 Decem- and world figures, from organizations and ordi-ber formally attesting to the fact that more nary people all over the world, and one from thana one million people from 85 countries had number of political prisoners in the Dominicansigned Al's International Appeal to the Presi- Republic.