* News Release Issued by the International Secretariat of Amnesty
International *

28 March 2001
AFR 57/011/2001
55/01

Joint Press Statement from Amnesty International (AI),
Association for the Prevention of Torture (APT), International
Federation of Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture
(FIACAT), FJdJration Internationale des Droits de l Homme (FIDH),
Organisation Mondiale Contre la Torture (OMCT), The Association
for the Prevention of Torture/Association pour la Prevention de
la Torture - Working Together for Human Rights.

The group of NGOs today calls on the international community to
"turn principles into practice", as Mary Robinson highlighted in
her opening statement to the UN Commission on Human Rights. The
case of Togo, which has systematically violated international
human rights standards, will be a test case for whether the
Commission on Human Rights can put effective action before
political interests.

As the report of the joint UN - OAU Commission of Inquiry
for Togo (COI) is about to be discussed at its 57th session, the
UN Commission on Human Rights must ensure a full and prompt
implementation of their recommendations to address the culture of
impunity and provide justice for the victims of grave human
rights violations in Togo.

NGOs urge the UN Commission on Human Rights to act upon
the key recommendation of the COI: to appoint a Special
Rapporteur on Togo. Based on its conclusion that there was "a
situation of systematic violations of human rights in Togo", the
COI sees a Special Rapporteur as necessary to allow closer
cooperation between the UN Commission on Human Rights and the
Togolese authorities to better protect human rights in Togo.

The Special Rapporteur should be appointed not only to
monitor human rights but also to play an important role of
preventing new abuses in the run up to elections later this year.
In Togo every election campaign in the last decade has been
marred by gross human rights violations.

"The international community cannot continue to evade its
responsibility under the name of Realpolitik". The UN Commission
on Human Rights would lose credibility if its member states
failed to implement the recommendations of a commission that the
UN itself decided to establish. "To ignore the UN/OAU
recommendations will send a signal to states responsible for
human rights violations that they can get away with large scale
abuses with the complicity of the international community", the
NGOs spokesperson said*.

The Commission on Human Rights should also ensure that
three Special Rapporteurs (on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary
executions, on torture and on violence against women) are invited
to visit Togo. In doing so, the Commission would implement
another important recommendation of the COI. Allegations of
extrajudicial executions, torture, "disappearances", arbitrary
arrest and rape should be further investigated and those
responsible brought to justice as recommended by the Commission.

It is also crucial that the international community provides
financial help to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for
Human Rights to ensure that a mechanism of monitoring and
protection of witnesses is set up. Since the COI left Togo in
December, at least ten people both in Togo and Benin have been
threatened by the Togolese authorities. Some of them had
collaborated with the Commission and had to flee their home
fearing for their lives. In light of this information and the
repeated attempts at intimidation of witnesses by the Togolese
authorities, as experienced by the COI itself during its
investigations, the NGOs strongly urges the international
community to ensure that the national commission of inquiry
announced by the Togolese government on 7 March meets with
international standards, including that complainants, witnesses
and those conducting the investigation and their families be
effectively protected from any form of intimidation. It is also
important that any national commission of inquiry is fully
resourced, has the power to compel officials to testify, and is
composed of members recognized for their competence, independence
and impartiality.

NGOs, victims and their families are waiting to see
whether the Commission will put UN principles into practice.

Background
The report of the joint OAU/UN Commission of Inquiry on
Togo charged with "verifying the truth of allegations of hundreds
of extrajudicial executions, which allegedly took place in Togo
during 1998, made by Amnesty International's report published on
5 May 1999" was released on 22 February 2001.

The report uncovered evidence of extrajudicial executions
carried out by security forces in concert with the police and
armed militias. It also reports acts of torture, ill treatment of
people in detention as well as rapes of women in the presence of
their husbands, perpetrated by armed militias close to the
authorities.

*Eric Sottas, Director of OMCT can be contacted on + 41 22 809 49
39

ENDS.../

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office in London,
UK, on +44 20 7413 5566 or visit our website at
http://www.amnesty.org

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