Page 4199 - Week 14 - Thursday, 25 October 1990
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
from over 90 countries - more than half the countries of the world. The last Amnesty International report says that deaths in custody from torture were recorded in 24 countries. In another 14 countries detainees were reported to have died as a result of harsh prison conditions or in suspicious circumstances.
Recently, Mr Speaker, we had a visit to this Assembly by a group of mothers from Argentina who were able to provide to the members of the local Amnesty chapter here evidence of the sorts of problems that this sort of torture and disappearance of people causes to families. It relates to extra-judicial executions, which in that particular case have occurred over a number of years in Argentina. That is why the mothers were here seeking support from other countries to put pressure on the Argentinian Government so that they could find out the whereabouts of their sons and daughters.
These executions that I have talked about were reported in 29 countries and disappearances, in political cases, in at least 16 countries. Political prisoners were detained without charge or trial in at least 78 countries and unfair trials in political cases were known to have taken place in 27 countries. Amnesty International Report 1989 also cites human rights violations, including arbitrary detention and torture, against children and adolescents in 32 countries; against journalists, editors and publishers pursuing their professions in 33 countries; against lawyers carrying out their work in 17 countries; against students in 38 countries; and against trade unionists and labour activists in 31 countries.
The death penalty is now no longer in use in over 85 countries - nearly half the countries in the world - but elsewhere in 1989 Amnesty International learned of over 2,200 executions. Those, Mr Speaker, are shameful figures for any society to contemplate.
In closing let me make some brief comments in response to an interjection from Mr Berry. It is unfortunate, Mr Speaker, that Mr Berry seeks to turn the issue of ACT prisoners into a political football. It is clearly unfortunate that Mr Berry has sought to take this course. I would have thought it was more in the interests of the people of the ACT and those prisoners currently in New South Wales gaols to participate and join with the Alliance Government, and its Attorney-General, Mr Collaery, in seeking to mollify and modify some of the problems that are currently taking place in New South Wales prisons. I think it is long overdue, Mr Speaker, that those opposite took a long hard look at themselves in relation to issues of this type, issues of conscience and issues of concern that should be treated on a true bipartisan basis.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .