Bill Howard
Tue, 10 Apr 2001 19:07:14 -0700
International Emergency Committee to Defend the Life of Dr. Abimael Guzmán BCM-IEC, 27 Old Gloucester Street London WC1N 3XX, UK Phone/Fax: +44 (20) 7482 0853 E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release April 2, 2001, Lima, Peru 7th Delegation of the International Emergency Committee to Defend the Life of Dr. Abimael Guzman For more than eight years, the lawyers who represent Dr. Abimael Guzman Reinoso before the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights and the UN Human Rights Committee have requested from the Peruvian government, as well as from the judicial authorities, permission to meet with their client. Neither the government of Alberto Fujimori, or the present government that proudly claims to be democratic, have allowed a visit. Thus the Peruvian authorities persist in a clear violation of well established Human Rights standards. The International Delegation-which has been in Peru during this last week of March-met with the office of the Peruvian Ombudsman, the Supreme Council of Military Justice, and the Ministry of Justice. But these officials did not allow a visit between Dr. Guzman and his lawyers. Yet these same official bodies concede that the fundamental rights of Peru's political prisoners-who are held in subhuman and torturous conditions-have been violated, as in the case of Dr. Abimael Guzman. We will continue to demand an end to the isolation of Dr. Guzman, and of the others held in the special prison at the El Callao naval base who are also suffering similar conditions of isolation-including Mr. Oscar Ramirez Durand who was more recently imprisoned there. Our committee will also continue to demand that Dr. Guzman be allowed to speak live and in person before the press. This would serve as evidence that the Peruvian government is correcting the grave violations committed by the Alberto Fujimori regime. If the Peruvian government does not respond to these demands, the international community concerned about fundamental Human Rights will realize that even in times of a supposed democratic opening in Peru, the rights of political prisoners continue to be violated. Lima, April 2, 2001 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Members of the 7th 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. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------