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PRESS COMMUNIQUE Nº 6/94 The delegation, which has been in the country for several days, comprises the Second Vice Chairman of the IACHR, Mr. Leo Valladares Lanza; the Assistant Executive Secretary, Dr. David Padilla, the specialist in charge of Guatemalan matters, Dr. Osvaldo Kreimer; and specialist Ms. Elizabeth Houppert. The delegation has contacted various national authorities and representatives of the communities, and will travel to Ixcan and the Sierra in El Quiche on Wednesday the 9th and Thursday the 10th of this month. There they will visit different localities and observe the human rights situation of the various sectors, accompanied by His Excellency Cesar Alvarez Guadamuz, Ambassador of Guatemala to the OAS. Washington, D.C., March 8, 1994
PRESS COMMUNIQUE The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights celebrated its 86th special period of sessions, at its headquarters in Washington D.C., April 6 and 7, 1994. The IACHR planned this session to coincide with the presentation of its Annual Report and special reports before the Committee on Juridical and Political Affairs of the Permanent Council. The IACHR discussed inter alia various points relating to the presentation of its report to the Permanent Council, its program of visits in loco and the processing of individual cases. Additionally, the Commission approved and confirmed the carrying out of special studies on themes relevant to the promotion and protection of human rights. The Special Rapporteurs for these studies of the Commission are: Michael Reisman (the offense of contempt against public officials) Alvaro Tirado Mejia, John Donaldson and Leo Valladares (the situation of prisons in the hemisphere), and Claudio Grossman (the status of the rights of women). The special session took place in the framework of activities planned by the Commission to celebrate the 35th anniversary of its creation by the Fifth Meeting of Consultation of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, conducted in Santiago, Chile in 1959. Washington, D.C., April 7, 1994
PRESS COMMUNIQUE The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights was notified today by the Colombian Government that, on April 10, Army Major Luis Demetrio Yepes Anaya was kidnapped somewhere between Cocorná and Santuario in the Department of Antioquia when, dressed in civilian clothes and unarmed, he was returning to his post after a visit to his family. He is the father of two children, aged 3 and 4 years. The communication expressed concern over his personal safety because other officers held in similar circumstances have been known to die. On numerous occasions, the Commission, citing humanitarian reasons, has asked the Government of Colombia to protect the lives and guarantee the personal safety of members of the Colombian guerrilla forces. Adducing those same reasons, the Commission also urgently appeals in this case to the members of the People's Liberation Army who have kidnapped Major Yepes Anaya to respect his life and protect him from harm. Washington, D.C. April 15, 1994
PRESS COMMUNIQUE During its 85th regular period of sessions, held January 31 through February 11, 1994, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights of the Organization of American States considered the grave deterioration of the situation of human rights which continues in Haiti, and decided to carry out an on site visit in the country. The purpose of the visit is to continue observing the situation of human rights in Haiti, and to evaluate the exercise of and respect for these rights in accordance with the American Convention on Human Rights, to which Haiti is a party, and to formulate the recommendations that the Commission considers are necessary. The Commission will carry out this visit from May 16 through 20, 1994. The Special Delegation will be composed of the following persons: Mr. Patrick Robinson, Prof. Claudio Grossman and Ambassador John Donaldson, Members of the Commission. The Delegation will be assisted by Dr. Edith Márquez Rodríguez, Executive Secretary of the Commission, Dr. Bertha Santoscoy Noro, Human Rights Specialist, and by personnel of the Commission Secretariat, and of the Department of Translation of the OAS. In the course of its mission, the Commission hopes to meet with and obtain information from representatives of all the sectors of Haitian society, in order to gain a better understanding of the reality of human rights in Haiti. Washington, D.C., May 5, 1994
PRESS COMMUNIQUE The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) of the Organization of American States considered the human rights situation in Haiti at its eighty-fifth session (from January 31 to February 11, 1994) and decided to carry out an on-site visit to that country. The purpose of the visit is to continue to observe the human rights situation in Haiti and to evaluate the exercise of, and respect for, those rights in accordance with the American Convention on Human Rights, to which Haiti is a party, and to draw up any recommendations the Commission deems necessary. The Commission will carry out its visit from May 16 to 20, 1994. The Special Delegation of the IACHR will consist of the following persons: Dr. Patrick Robinson, Prof. Claudio Grossman, and Ambassador John Donaldson, members of the Commission. The Delegation will be assisted by Dr. Edith Márquez Rodríguez, Executive Secretary of the IACHR, Dr. Bertha Santoscoy-Noro, Human Rights Specialist (already in Haiti), Dr. Relinda Eddie, Dr. Isabel Ricupero, Mr. Serge Bellegarde of the Translation Office, and Ana Cecilia Adriazola, Secretary of the IACHR. In the course of its mission the Delegation expects to meet with and obtain information from representatives of all sectors of Haitian society in order to gain more insight into the human rights situation in Haiti. The Commission will stay at Hotel Villa Créole and be available to anyone who wishes to present individual denunciations of human rights violations, on Wednesday, May 18, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The Commission will end its visit with a press conference to be held at the Holiday Inn on May 20 at 10:30 a.m. Port-au-Prince, May 11, 1994 |
