ICRC News 51 / 20-Dec-01


** SHORT MENU....

Tajikistan
The ravages of forgotten mines
Zuboidullo is 14. His older brother is a paraplegic. He himself lost both
legs when he stepped on a mine at the beginning of November. His father has
still not been able to bring himself to tell his wife the truth.

Tajikistan
Radio and theatre promote humanitarian law
The ICRC delegation in Dushanbe is running a quiz show on one of
Tajikistan's most popular radio stations as part of a programme to raise
awareness of international humanitarian law among students.

Democratic Republic of the Congo
ICRC reunites children with their families
On 18 December, the ICRC flew 26 children from the eastern town of Goma to
the Congolese capital Kinshasa, where they were reunited with their
families.

1Algeria
Fifth series of visits to detainees
Under a 1999 agreement with the Algerian government, a team made up of five
delegates including a doctor carried out a fifth round of visits between 10
November and 12 December to prisons run by the Ministry of Justice.

India
Inaugural Henry Dunant Moot Court Competition
The Indian Society of International Law (ISIL) and the New Delhi delegation
of the ICRC held the inaugural Henry Dunant Memorial IHL Moot Court
Competition on 15 and 16 December at the ISIL, New Delhi.


** STORIES IN FULL...

Tajikistan
The ravages of forgotten mines

Zuboidullo is 14. His older brother is a paraplegic. He himself lost both
legs when he stepped on a mine at the beginning of November. His father
has still not been able to bring himself to tell his wife the truth. She
waits at home, expecting Zuboidullo to return soon, once the doctors have
treated his injuries. In this region, a woman does not question her
husband's orders, so there's little risk of her going to the hospital and
discovering the full horror of the tragedy.

Zuboidullo is showing a great deal of courage and maturity. With the
agreement of his father, the ICRC transported him from Garm to the
capital, Dushanbe, 200 km away, to be fitted with two artificial legs.
This process will take several weeks. First, he will have to undergo a
second, minor operation on one of the stumps before the artificial legs
can be built. Then he will have to undergo a period of rehabilitation,
learning to walk on them. Zuboidullo knows. But he's desperate to avoid
going home unable to walk. He couldn't bear to see the pain in his
mother's eyes. If he can move around on his own, she will suffer a little
less.

For now, Zuboidullo is living with his uncle in Dushanbe. The ICRC and the
Red Crescent Society of Tajikistan are monitoring his case with particular
care. In total, 2,500 amputees have been registered in Tajikistan, of whom
almost half have already been fitted with artificial limbs. In the
orthopaedic centre run by the ICRC and the Canadian Red Cross Society,
Zuboidullo and his father have discovered that you can learn to walk on
artificial legs. They can smile hopefully as they watch the many
rehabilitation patients practising in the exercise room.

Video material broadcast via the EBU on 21 December and other main
satelite feeds at 14h GMT.
Photos available from AFP, AP and Reuters.

Radio and theatre promote humanitarian law

The ICRC delegation in Dushanbe is running a quiz show on one of
Tajikistan's most popular radio stations as part of a programme to raise
awareness of international humanitarian law among students. The station
will be asking a question about humanitarian law twice a week throughout
December, and the first listener who phones in with the correct answer is
asked more questions. At the end of the month the best callers from each
week will meet head-to-head for a studio final, and everyone who has
answered at least one question correctly will be invited to the delegation
to receive a prize.

At the same time, schoolchildren are learning about the principles and
mandate of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement as part
of their curriculum. To support this drive, the ICRC has called in the
director of Russia's Mayakovsky Theatre to put on a play presenting the
work of the ICRC in conflict situations. This new play has no dialogue,
the young cast communicating their message by gesture and the interplay of
sound and light. The premiere is scheduled for January.

Further information: Roland Sidler, ICRC Geneva, tel.: ++ 41 22 730 20 45


Democratic Republic of the Congo
ICRC reunites children with their families

On 18 December, the ICRC flew 26 children from the eastern town of Goma to
the Congolese capital Kinshasa, where they were reunited with their
families. The next day, another 14 children made the journey in the
opposite direction aboard the same ICRC aircraft to rejoin their parents
in the east of the country.

The separation of family members is one of the most tragic consequences of
any conflict. Together with the Red Cross Society of the Democratic
Republic of the Congo, the ICRC is working tirelessly to reunite
unaccompanied children with their parents or other relatives able to take
care of them.

The preservation of family unity is a universal principle guaranteed by
law. The ICRC does everything in its power to reunite people who have been
separated by conflicts. In particular, it searches for them actively and
makes arrangements for them to be brought together again. Unaccompanied
children and other particularly vulnerable groups receive special
attention. In 2001, the ICRC reunited 340 unaccompanied children with
their families, both in the area under government control and in the east
of the country.

Further information: Antoine Tawamba, ICRC Kinshasa, tel. ++243 12 341 91


Algeria
Fifth series of visits to detainees

Under a 1999 agreement with the Algerian government, a team made up of
five delegates including a doctor carried out a fifth round of visits
between 10 November and 12 December to prisons run by the Ministry of
Justice. The delegates, who went to nine prisons under the jurisdiction of
the courts of Annaba, Jijel, Tizi Ouzou, Adrar and Blida, assessed
conditions of detention in five places being visited for the first time
and saw what action had been taken on their recommendations in four places
visited previously. Their interviews with detainees also enabled them to
check on treatment and conditions in places run by the Ministries of the
Interior and of Defence where detainees were held following arrest.

The four remand centres, three rehabilitation centres and two
reintegration centres visited housed a total of 3,596 inmates, including
56 women and 27 minors. The delegates conducted private interviews with
449 detainees of their choice, including 144 arrested and held in custody
in 2001. The ICRC doctor visited sick detainees and talked with medical
and paramedical staff about detainee health, the quality and organization
of medical care and the conditions under which hospitals admitted
detainees in need of specialized treatment.

The delegates discussed their findings concerning conditions of detention
and treatment, together with problems reported by the detainees, with the
local detaining authorities and the Ministry of Justice. They showed
particular concern for relations between detainees and their families,
which are crucial for ensuring successful reintegration. The most
vulnerable groups of detainees, such as women, minors and non-Algerians,
also received special attention. A report containing the delegates'
observations and recommendations will be submitted to the Algerian
authorities early next year.

While the visits were taking place, the ICRC pursued its consultations
with the Algerian authorities on the role it could play in providing
further training for prison medical staff and improving their status. It
also wishes to step up the discussions it is holding with all the
authorities concerned with a view to ensuring that people deprived of
their freedom are protected from the moment of their arrest.

Since autumn 1999, ICRC delegates have visited a total of 37 places of
detention run by the Ministry of Justice and held 2,089 private interviews
with detainees.

Further information: Vincent Lusser, ICRC Geneva, tel.: ++ 41 22 730 24 58


India
Inaugural Henry Dunant Moot Court Competition

The Indian Society of International Law (ISIL) and the New Delhi
delegation of the ICRC held the inaugural Henry Dunant Memorial IHL Moot
Court Competition on 15 and 16 December at the ISIL, New Delhi.

Five teams from leading law universities across India took part in the
competition, which was organized to encourage law students to gain a
greater understanding of the importance of IHL. Students were required to
prepare both a prosecution and a defence case relating to a hypothetical
situation involving several defendants accused of committing war crimes
and crimes against humanity, including rape, torture and the murder of
civilians.

The judges for the competition included sitting and retired judges of the
Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court of India, eminent jurists such as
Dr P.S. Rao and Dr R.P. Anand, the Judge-Advocate General of the Indian
Army, practising lawyers and an official from the National Human Rights
Commission.

The final between the West Bengal National University of Juridical
Sciences (NUJS) and the Government Law College, Mumbai, was presided over
by Justice D.P. Wadwa, a former Supreme Court of India judge. The team
from NUJS, Kolkata, were the winners of the closely contested event.

Further information: Kim Gordon-Bates, ICRC Geneva, tel.: ++ 41 22 730 25
50


As 2001 draws to a close...
We send season's greetings to all our readers and our very best wishes for
2002.
The next issue of ICRC News will appear on 10 January 2002.


During the weekend of 22 - 25 December, for all information please call
the press officer on duty, Vincent Lusser, on (mobile) ++ 41 79 217 32 58,

from the 29 to the 30 December, please call duty press officer Darcy
Christen on (mobile) ++ 41 79 217 32 31,

or from the 31 December to the 1 January, please call duty press officer
Antonella Notari on (mobile) ++ 41 79 217 32 80.