Date: Tue, 8 Feb 1994 19:43:48 -0800 From: Meg Satterthwaite Subject: AI'S BREAKING THE SILENCE CAMPAIGN +----------------------------------------------------------+ + Paper reprints authorised. Electronic redistributors + + must request permission from Amnesty International. + + Contact: aimlgc@igc.apc.org + +----------------------------------------------------------+ Embargoed for Tuesday, February 8, 1994 BREAKING THE SILENCE: Amnesty International USA denounces human rights violations based on sexual orientation Homosexuals in many parts of the world live in constant fear of government persecution because of their sexual orientation, Amnesty International USA said today (Tuesday, February 8, 1994.) In a groundbreaking report entitled Breaking the Silence: Human Rights Violations Based on Sexual Orientation, the organization focuses on the imprisonment, torture and execution of gay men and lesbians worldwide. Noting that lesbians and gay men face classic forms of human rights abuses, this report also documents the abuses aimed specifically at them by governments. With the release of this report and the launch of a six-month nationwide grassroots campaign to abolish these abuses, Amnesty International USA places the government repression of gay men and lesbians squarely on the international human rights agenda. Amnesty International USA activists around the country, by working against government legislation and practices that result in the arbitrary imprisonment, torture and execution of gay men and lesbians, will contribute in concrete areas to this struggle. They will petition governments directly, as well as conduct media and other public awareness campaigns in their communities and on their campuses and in Amnesty's special networks, to put governments on notice that homosexuals are no longer easy targets for human rights abuses. While applauding the efforts of gay and lesbian activists worldwide who continue to work in their own countries and internationally to protect the rights of gay men and lesbians, Amnesty International said, "Protecting the human rights of gays and lesbians is an international responsibility and is a struggle to be waged by all people, just as the struggle for human rights for women, for indigenous peoples, for refugees, for the disappeared, and for the survivors of torture is an international responsibility and is waged by all people." The report shows how in some countries, torture or ill-treatment are sometimes used to force "confessions" of homosexuality, or to elicit the names and addresses of other lesbians and gay men. Subsequently, they may be doubly victimized, as societal discrimination prevents them from seeking the legal, religious, social, or psychiatric support services available to other victims. For example, in Romania, gay men have been routinely targeted for ill-treatment and torture. Several cases have been reported of beatings, some lasting as long as 13 hours, with truncheons on the palms of the hands, soles of the feet and the torso. Reports of ill-treatment of homosexuals by police have also been received from Britain, the United States, Costa Rica and Turkey. Lesbians and gay men have historically been persecuted and oppressed through laws that criminalize sexual behavior between consenting adults of the same sex, even when such behavior occurs in private, or in some cases, where there is little or no evidence that the individuals have engaged in sexual acts. While the language of these laws varies with regard to the specific acts which are proscribed, the common effect is to stigmatize lesbians and gay men as criminals. In Australia, certain sections of the Criminal Code of the State of Tasmania criminalize all consensual homosexual acts between men including those in private. The United Nations Human Rights Committee is currently considering a complaint that charges that this law violates basic rights protected under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. All other states in Australia have decriminalized homosexual acts. Many countries, though, have repealed laws criminalizing consensual sex between adult men, these include Ireland (1993), the United Kingdom territory of the Isle of Man (1992) and several former Soviet republics including Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine and Russia. Twenty-eight of the fifty United States have repealed their criminal sodomy statutes since 1962; while other statutes are still being challenged. Five states (Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Montana,Tennessee) apply these laws only to homosexuals. Amnesty International would consider an individual imprisoned under these laws a Prisoner of Conscience and would call for their immediate and unconditional release. Unfortunately, the absence of laws criminalizing homosexuality does not necessarily safeguard the basic human rights of homosexuals. Lesbians and gay men continue to be harassed and arbitrarily detained solely by reason of their sexual orientation. "The international human rights movement is obligated to ensure that the basic human rights of all people are protected and promoted by governments, not abused." said Amnesty International USA. "Our nationwide campaign will mobilize our membership and focus public attention on the issues. It is designed to break the deafening silence that surrounds abuses against homosexuals and allows governments to kill, torture and detain with impunity," said Amnesty International USA. -30- EMBARGOED FOR TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1994 The above report is available from AIUSA, 322 Eighth Avenue, NY, NY 10001, for a cost of $8.00, including shipping and handling.