Rights Abuses by E. Germany Charged
Persistent human rights abuses by East Germany include the punishment of people who seek to emigrate, harsh treatment of prisoners and the conducting of secret trials, Amnesty International said Wednesday.
While the Communist government has loosened up some travel restrictions, some people caught trying to flee have been charged with espionage, the London-based human rights organization said.
Amnesty International said “a clear pattern of human rights abuse” exists in the country of 16.6 million people, but it added that official secrecy and the government’s refusal to respond in detail to various allegations make it difficult to obtain a complete picture.
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