MISSING WRITERS

Press, Issue 33842, 14 May 1975, Page 17

MISSING WRITERS

Call to Press Institute c.V Z P A Reuter—Cvpvrt'jhti LONDON, May 13. Amnesty International, the 1 London-based human rights ' organisation, has published i the names of 71 journalists ifrom 17 countries who, it l says are in prison or are missing, and it has called on I the International Press Institute to take action on 'their behalf. ' The list is pubiisned to coincide with the opening in Zurich of the institute’s annual assembly, which Amnesty calls on to establish a 1 permanent committee to work on behalf of joumalI ists who are detained because of their work. “The vast majority of the journalists on the list are people whose imprisonment or disappearance is directly linked to their professional activities," it says. “In a number of cases we have received allegations that the journalists in question have been tortured."

| Amnesty also calls on all newspapers to establish a special human rights desk to deal with violations of the United Nations Human Rights Declaration. "A free press has a duty to publicise, and condemn, the maltreatment and wrongful imprisonment of all persons whose cases come to its attention." it says.