Amnesty accuses

Papua New Guinea

Amnesty accuses PNG and Bougainville

The human rights organisation, Amnesty International, has accused both Papua New Guinea government forces and the Bougainville Revolutionary Army of committing attrocities.

However, in a report issued in London the group was highly :ritical of the PNG government.

It claimed the government had failed to investigate and take iction against the perpetrators of executions, torture and rape luring the campaign against the Bougainville secessionists, \mnesty said military restrictions on access to Bougainville had neant the security forces have been virtually free from outside crutiny creating a climate in which human rights violations lad been almost inevitable. Amnesty said that since the return )f government forces to Bougainville in 1991, there had been >ersistent reports of killings, torture, rape, beatings and larassment of suspected supporters of the Bougainville Revolutionary Army. It alleged at least 60 people were eported to have been illegally executed. Amnesty also said the ecessionists had carried out executions, torture and other tbuses against people accused of betraying the independence novement.