TNAG-2320-FCO40-3364-Human-rights-in-Hong-Kong-1991 — Page 51

PS/Mr Lennox-Boyd

FROM: DS Walwyn

United Nations Department

DATE: 5 July 1991

CC: PS

PS/Mr Hogg

PS/Mr Garel-Jones

PS/Mrs Chalker

PS/PUS

PS/Mr Lankester

Mr Weston

Mr Fairweather

Sir J Coles

Mr Broomfield

Mr Greenstock

Mr Tait

Mr Joy

Mr Slater

Miss Spencer

Mr Gore-Booth

Mr Hemans

Miss Evans

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL REPORT 1991

1. We have today obtained one advance copy of Amnesty

International's 1991 report which is due to be released on 10 July

(copy attached). The report covers Amnesty's concerns in 1990, and consequently out of date in some areas. It nonetheless provides a useful survey of 141 countries and their performance in relation to Amnesty's mandate: prisoners of conscience, fair trial, torture and

the abolition of the death penalty. The introduction to the report

also covers refugees and asylum seekers, a new area of concern to Amnesty, and makes critical reference to UK and US policy and practice (page 9).

2. The introduction's main theme is the selectivity with which

governments exert their influence, and the extent to which political and economic interests conflict with human rights. Amnesty cites the example of the Commission on Human Rights failure in 1990 to act on the grave human rights situation in Iraq, but fails to point out that a Western resolution to take action was blocked by the

non-aligned. Amnesty's thinking in the introduction

compartmentalises human rights, political and economic interests. This is somewhat behind the UK's thinking in this area, where we are emphasising the inter-related character of respect for human rights,

political puralism, accountability, and sustainable political,

HRXABP