Paraguay
01.02.02
Urgent Interventions
Paraguay: the alleged torture of Mr. Juan Francisco Arrom, Mr. Anuncio Martí and Mr. Víctor Antonio Colmán
Case PRY 010202
Arbitrary detention/Torture/Ill-treatment/Harassment
The International Secretariat of OMCT requests your URGENT intervention in the following situation in Paraguay.
Brief description of the situation
The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by a reliable source of the arbitrary detention, and alleged torture of Mr. Juan Francisco Arrom and Mr. Anuncio Martí. In a related case, Mr. Víctor Antonio Colmán remains in detention, and is also believed to have been subjected to torture. All three men were reportedly detained by members of an informal police group (parapolicial) in Asunción, Paraguay.
According to the information received, Mr. Arrom and Mr. Martí, both members of a small, left-wing political organization (Movimiento Patria Libre), were last seen on January 17, 2002. Their disappearance provoked concern within their families, who reported their disappearance to the appropriate authorities. It is alleged that before the filing of the report and subsequent investigation, the authorities maintained that Mr. Arrom and Mr. Martí were in fact fugitives fleeing from justice, but that the police were “fast on their heels.”
Reports indicate that the families of Mr. Arrom and Mr. Martí are continuing in their independent search for the two men, and claim that they have reasons to believe that their relatives are being tortured in an unknown police establishment. Based on their presumptions, various human rights organisations have requested, through a press release, that the authorities determine the whereabouts of these missing persons and guarantee their physical and psychological integrity.
According to the information received, in the afore-mentioned press release, human rights organisations rejected statements by the Minster of the Interior, Mr. Julio César Fanego, who linked their disappearances with the abduction of Mrs. María Edith Bordón de Debenardi, a relative of an important member of Alfredo Stroessner’s military dictatorship. Her abduction occurred several months ago in Paraguay.
According to the information received, Mr. Arrom and Mr. Martí were found on the night of Wednesday, January 30, 2002, with evident signs of torture visible, which were allegedly inflicted upon them by members of the informal police group (parapolicias). Mr. Arrom reported in the press release that the parapolicias asked them to sign a declaration before the public prosecutor accepting responsibility for the abduction of Mrs. Debenardi.
Additionally, reports indicate that the magistrate in charge of the abduction case issued a detention order against Mr. Jorge Samudio Ferreira, Mrs. Ana Rosa Samudio de Colmán and Mr. Víctor Antonio Colmán, who is an acquaintance of Mr. Juan Francisco Arrom. The detention order was based on the fact that during a house raid, police found $50,000, which led them to believe that it was a payment that these persons had received in order to return Mrs. Debenardi.
According to the information received, the Public Defender (Defensor adjunto del Pueblo), Mr. Raúl Marín, visited Mr. Víctor Antonio Colmán in the Department of Crime Investigation (Departamento de Investigación de Delitos) where he noted that Mr. Colmán had been punched and tortured, allegedly by members of the police in charge of his detention, to which Mr. Marín commented, “the first action that we took was to verify (the existence of torture), next we will publish reports at a national and international level, the likes of which will be very negative for the country, because it will give evidence that here, people continue to be tortured.”
The International Secretariat of OMCT is gravely concerned for the security and physical and psychological integrity of Mr. Juan Francisco Arrom and Mr. Anuncio Martí, and all members of the Movimiento Patria Libre (MPL). Furthermore, OMCT expresses its extreme concern regarding the alleged reports of ill-treatment and torture to which the men in question have reportedly been subjected.
Action requested
Please write to the authorities in Paraguay urging them to:
· take all necessary measures to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of Mr. Juan Francisco Arrom and Mr. Anuncio Martí, all members of the Movimiento Patria Libre (MPL), as well as Mr. Víctor Antonio Colmán and all others detained in relation to the abduction of Mrs. María Edith Bordón de Debenardi ;
· order a thorough and impartial investigation into the circumstances of these events, in particular the reports of the alleged torture and ill-treatment to which Mr. Juan Francisco Arrom, Mr. Anuncio Martí, and Mr. Víctor Antonio Colmán have been subjected, in order to identify those responsible, bring them to trial and apply the penal, civil and/or administrative sanctions as provided by law;
· guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental freedoms throughout the country in accordance with national laws and international human rights standards.
Addresses
· Dr. Luis Angel González Macchi, Presidencia de la República, Palacio López-El Paraguayo, Independiente y Ayolas, Asunción Paraguay, Tel. : (+59 521) 441 889. Fax : (+59 521) 493 622. Página WEB http://www.presidencia.gov.py
· Don Julio César Ramón Franco Gómez, Vice-Presidente de la República del Paraguay, Edificio ¨Vicepresidencia¨-General Díaz esq. Alberdi, Telefax: (+59 521) 450 001/ (+59 521) 450 005
· Don Silvio Ferreira Fernández, Ministro de Justicia y Trabajo, Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia esq. EEUU, Telefax: (+59 521) 208 469
· Don Fernando Canillas Vera, Vice-Ministro de Justicia, Herrera y Paraguarí, Telefax: (+59 521) 498 339
· Don José Antonio Moreno Rufinelli, Ministro de Relaciones Exteriores, O´Leary esq. Pte. Franco,Tel.: (+59 521) 494 593.Fax:(+59 521) 494 593. E-mail: jmoreno@mre.gov.py
· Diputada Sonia de León, Presidenta de la Comision de Derechos Humanos, Cámara de Diputados Fax: (+595 21) 498 870
· Dr. Anibal Cabrera Verón, Fiscal General del Estado del Paraguay, e-mail: fiscgral@infonet.com.py
Please also write to the embassies of Paraguay in your respective country.
Geneva, February 6th, 2002
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.
Arbitrary detention/Torture/Ill-treatment/Harassment
The International Secretariat of OMCT requests your URGENT intervention in the following situation in Paraguay.
Brief description of the situation
The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by a reliable source of the arbitrary detention, and alleged torture of Mr. Juan Francisco Arrom and Mr. Anuncio Martí. In a related case, Mr. Víctor Antonio Colmán remains in detention, and is also believed to have been subjected to torture. All three men were reportedly detained by members of an informal police group (parapolicial) in Asunción, Paraguay.
According to the information received, Mr. Arrom and Mr. Martí, both members of a small, left-wing political organization (Movimiento Patria Libre), were last seen on January 17, 2002. Their disappearance provoked concern within their families, who reported their disappearance to the appropriate authorities. It is alleged that before the filing of the report and subsequent investigation, the authorities maintained that Mr. Arrom and Mr. Martí were in fact fugitives fleeing from justice, but that the police were “fast on their heels.”
Reports indicate that the families of Mr. Arrom and Mr. Martí are continuing in their independent search for the two men, and claim that they have reasons to believe that their relatives are being tortured in an unknown police establishment. Based on their presumptions, various human rights organisations have requested, through a press release, that the authorities determine the whereabouts of these missing persons and guarantee their physical and psychological integrity.
According to the information received, in the afore-mentioned press release, human rights organisations rejected statements by the Minster of the Interior, Mr. Julio César Fanego, who linked their disappearances with the abduction of Mrs. María Edith Bordón de Debenardi, a relative of an important member of Alfredo Stroessner’s military dictatorship. Her abduction occurred several months ago in Paraguay.
According to the information received, Mr. Arrom and Mr. Martí were found on the night of Wednesday, January 30, 2002, with evident signs of torture visible, which were allegedly inflicted upon them by members of the informal police group (parapolicias). Mr. Arrom reported in the press release that the parapolicias asked them to sign a declaration before the public prosecutor accepting responsibility for the abduction of Mrs. Debenardi.
Additionally, reports indicate that the magistrate in charge of the abduction case issued a detention order against Mr. Jorge Samudio Ferreira, Mrs. Ana Rosa Samudio de Colmán and Mr. Víctor Antonio Colmán, who is an acquaintance of Mr. Juan Francisco Arrom. The detention order was based on the fact that during a house raid, police found $50,000, which led them to believe that it was a payment that these persons had received in order to return Mrs. Debenardi.
According to the information received, the Public Defender (Defensor adjunto del Pueblo), Mr. Raúl Marín, visited Mr. Víctor Antonio Colmán in the Department of Crime Investigation (Departamento de Investigación de Delitos) where he noted that Mr. Colmán had been punched and tortured, allegedly by members of the police in charge of his detention, to which Mr. Marín commented, “the first action that we took was to verify (the existence of torture), next we will publish reports at a national and international level, the likes of which will be very negative for the country, because it will give evidence that here, people continue to be tortured.”
The International Secretariat of OMCT is gravely concerned for the security and physical and psychological integrity of Mr. Juan Francisco Arrom and Mr. Anuncio Martí, and all members of the Movimiento Patria Libre (MPL). Furthermore, OMCT expresses its extreme concern regarding the alleged reports of ill-treatment and torture to which the men in question have reportedly been subjected.
Action requested
Please write to the authorities in Paraguay urging them to:
· take all necessary measures to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of Mr. Juan Francisco Arrom and Mr. Anuncio Martí, all members of the Movimiento Patria Libre (MPL), as well as Mr. Víctor Antonio Colmán and all others detained in relation to the abduction of Mrs. María Edith Bordón de Debenardi ;
· order a thorough and impartial investigation into the circumstances of these events, in particular the reports of the alleged torture and ill-treatment to which Mr. Juan Francisco Arrom, Mr. Anuncio Martí, and Mr. Víctor Antonio Colmán have been subjected, in order to identify those responsible, bring them to trial and apply the penal, civil and/or administrative sanctions as provided by law;
· guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental freedoms throughout the country in accordance with national laws and international human rights standards.
Addresses
· Dr. Luis Angel González Macchi, Presidencia de la República, Palacio López-El Paraguayo, Independiente y Ayolas, Asunción Paraguay, Tel. : (+59 521) 441 889. Fax : (+59 521) 493 622. Página WEB http://www.presidencia.gov.py
· Don Julio César Ramón Franco Gómez, Vice-Presidente de la República del Paraguay, Edificio ¨Vicepresidencia¨-General Díaz esq. Alberdi, Telefax: (+59 521) 450 001/ (+59 521) 450 005
· Don Silvio Ferreira Fernández, Ministro de Justicia y Trabajo, Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia esq. EEUU, Telefax: (+59 521) 208 469
· Don Fernando Canillas Vera, Vice-Ministro de Justicia, Herrera y Paraguarí, Telefax: (+59 521) 498 339
· Don José Antonio Moreno Rufinelli, Ministro de Relaciones Exteriores, O´Leary esq. Pte. Franco,Tel.: (+59 521) 494 593.Fax:(+59 521) 494 593. E-mail: jmoreno@mre.gov.py
· Diputada Sonia de León, Presidenta de la Comision de Derechos Humanos, Cámara de Diputados Fax: (+595 21) 498 870
· Dr. Anibal Cabrera Verón, Fiscal General del Estado del Paraguay, e-mail: fiscgral@infonet.com.py
Please also write to the embassies of Paraguay in your respective country.
Geneva, February 6th, 2002
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.