Amnesty International urges check on human rights in Rwanda and Burundi

LONDON - Amnesty International, expressing shock at the continuing carnage, yesterday urged the UN to investigate human rights abuses in Rwanda and neighbouring Burundi, where it is estimated that more than 200,000 people have been killed, Reuter reports.

The London-based human rights organisation said it was 'calling for the UN experts on extra-judicial executions, 'disappearances', torture, violence aginst women, racism and the internally displaced to collect information in Rwanda and Burundi on the human rights situations there'. The mission should report its findings to governments, and member states should call for a special session of the UN Commission on Human Rights to be held to hear the reports and urge concrete steps to be taken, Amnesty added in a statement.

Amnesty said it was shocked by the prospect of an escalation of the crisis in Burundi and the failure of the international community to deal effectively with the massacres. 'A humanitarian crisis has begun,' it said.