Concerns in Europe: January - June 2001
63
Amnesty International September 2001
AI Index: EUR 01/003/2001
in Chechnya as the only effective answer to impunity.
In April the Commission adopted a resolution in
which it condemned the continuing human rights
violations in Chechnya and demanded accountability
from the Russian authorities. Although the
Commission did not call for an international
investigation into the violations in Chechnya, its
resolution was a serious reminder to the Russian
authorities of their obligations as a member of the UN
and its Security Council. Russian officials rejected the
resolution, terming it “biased”, and accused the United
States of America of blocking a compromise text.
Russian officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
also stated that the Russian government did not feel
obliged to implement the recommendations which the
commission made in its resolution.
S L O V A K
R E P U B L I C
Conclusions and Recommendations of the
United Nations Committee Against Torture
On 11 May the United Nations Committee Against
Torture considered Slovakia’s initial report
concerning the implementation of the provisions of
the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel,
Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. The
Committee recommended, inter alia, that the Slovak
authorities:
·
adopt measures to initiate an effective, reliable
and independent complaints system to undertake
prompt, impartial and effective investigations into
allegations of ill-treatment or torture by police
and other public officials, and where the findings
are warranted, to prosecute and punish alleged
perpetrators;
·
make adequate provisions for compensation and
rehabilitation of victims of torture and ill-
treatment;
·
continue to provide human
rights training for law
enforcement, military and other officials and
provide clear guidelines on the prohibition against
torture and ill-treatment and the prohibition on
returning persons to countries where they would
face a probable risk of torture.
The Committee further expressed concern,
inter alia,
about:
·
Allegations of instances of police participation in
attacks on Roma and other members of the
population, as well as allegations of inaction by
police and law enforcement officials who fail to
provide adequate protection against racially
motivated attacks when such groups have been
threatened by 'skinheads' or other extremist
groups;
·
Failure on the part of the authorities to carry out
prompt, impartial and thorough investigations
into allegations of such actions or to prosecute and
punish those responsible;
·
Allegations that law enforcement officials have
ill-treated detainees during detention and in police
custody, particularly in lock-ups and police cells;
·
Allegations of harassment of human rights
23
UN document: CAT/C/XXVI/Concl.4/Rev.1,
defenders as well as threats, reportedly to deter
submission of complaints, which are allegedly not
adequately investigated;
·
The lack of adequate guarantees of the rights of
persons deprived of liberty to have access to
counsel and a doctor of his or her choice as well
as prompt medical exams.
23
AI called on the Slovak authorities to implement,
as a matter of urgency, the Committee’s
recommendations.
S P A I N
ETA killings
AI’s campaign against killings by the Basque armed
group Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA), begun in
October 2000, continued. Focusing on ETA’s murder
of civilians, AI has repeatedly called on ETA to
respect fundamental human rights and international
humanitarian law. The organization has received no
reply to its appeals from the three designated
representatives of ETA who were approached by AI
groups. Eight people were killed by ETA between
January and May, mostly in the Basque Country.
Many others were injured.
On 26 January a car bomb in San Sebastián
(Guipúzcoa) killed Ramón Díaz García, who worked
as a cook at a navy base. José Ángel Santos Larrañaga
and Josi Leones Azkona, who worked for the
electricity company Electra, were killed in the city by
a car bomb on 22 February. The bomb was thought to
have been destined for a Socialist Party councillor. On
9 March Iñaki Totorika Vega, an officer of the Basque
autonomous police force, the Ertzaintza, was killed by
a car bomb in Hernani (Guipúzcoa). On 17 March
Santos Santamaría Avedaño, an officer of the Catalan
autonomous police force, the Mossos d’Esquadra,
was killed in a car bomb explosion when trying to
clear people from an area in Roses, Cataluña. On 20
March Froilán Elespe Inciarte, a Socialist Party (PSE)
official and councillor, was killed by a gun shot to the
head in Lasarte (Guipúzcoa). On 6 May a regional
president of the Partido Popular (PP - ruling centre-
right party), Manuel Giménez Abad, was fatally shot
in the head and stomach in the centre of Zaragoza
11 May 2001