HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE CONSIDERS REPORT OF SWEDEN

25 October 1995

Press Release
HR/CT/441

HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE CONSIDERS REPORT OF SWEDEN

19951025 GENEVA, 23 October (UN Information Service) -- The rise of racism and xenophobia and attacks against non-Nordic groups were some of the topics on which the Human Rights Committee focused this afternoon when it began considering the fourth periodic report of Sweden on its implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Several experts also expressed concern about administrative detention directed against asylum seekers and their expulsion from Swedish territory because of suspected terrorist involvement.

Lears Magnuson, Under-Secretary for Local Affairs in the Ministry of Justice, and head of the Swedish delegation, said his country had proved its conviction that there be equality for both sexes by building a society of equal opportunity.

Mr. Magnuson was accompanied by Erik Lempert, Permanent Under-Secretary, Ministry of Culture; Inger Kalmerborn, Associate Judge of Appeal, Ministry of Justice; Eva Hammar, Associate Judge of the Administrative Court of Appeal in the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs; Mona Danielsson, Assistant Under-Secretary, Ministry of Health and Social Affairs; Anne Dismorr, Counsellor from the Permanent Mission of Sweden at Geneva; and Erika Hagerud, First Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Introduction of Report

LEARS MAGNUSON (Sweden), introducing the report, told the Committee that international treaties were not directly implemented in Sweden. In order for a treaty to become part of Swedish domestic law, it should either be transformed into the national law or incorporated through a special legal act. Before ratifying the Covenant, a careful scrutiny was made to ascertain that Swedish law was in conformity with the Covenant. Following that scrutiny, the law complied with the Covenant except for certain areas where Sweden had made reservations.

In the field of the equality of the sexes, several developments had taken place since the last report. The new Government was composed of an equal number of women and men. The general elections had resulted in the increase of women members in Parliament from 33 to 40 per cent. The Swedish policy for equal opportunities was based on the conviction that shared power

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between women and men in all fields and at all levels of society was one precondition for equality. Shared power was an issue relating to democracy and aimed at decisions in society having as broad a basis as possible.

With regard to the Act on Judicial Review of Certain Administrative decisions, he said that the period of applicability of the Act had been extended to the end of 1997. Moreover, from April 1995, the Supreme Administrative Court reviewed only decisions of the Government whereas decisions of the administrative authorities were reviewed by the Administrative Court of Appeal. The new law on court cases on juvenile delinquency had entered into force this past March.

Consideration of Report

Following Sweden's introduction of the report and its response to the questions in chapter one of the prepared list of issues, which addressed the constitutional and legal framework within which the Covenant was implemented, the experts from Italy, Chile, Germany, India, Japan, Australia, Hungary, Mauritius and Ecuador raised various questions.

One of the main areas of interest for the experts was the persistence of racism and xenophobia in Swedish society. Almost all the members remarked on fascist tendencies leading to attacks on vulnerable groups, such as asylum seekers and people of non-Nordic origin. Many asked if the Government had undertaken measures to appease the mounting tendencies towards racism and, moreover, if it had taken legal or administrative steps to prohibit racist organizations. Cases of administrative detention of aliens were raised by experts who requested the representative of Sweden to clarify the situation.

Several members, however, voiced their approval of Sweden's effort to upgrade the status of women by building a society of equals and its engineering in promotion of human rights. Speakers also commended the excellent quality of the Swedish report.

Following Sweden's response to the questions in chapter two, which addressed the right to life, treatment of prisoners and other detainees; liberty and security of the persons; and the right to a fair trial, the Committee members from Israel, France, the United States, Germany, Australia, Jamaica, Japan and Hungary raised further questions.

One expert expressed concern about the legal amendment which limited the right of appeal in certain court cases. With regard to electronic control of persons, many experts wished to know how that system functioned with regard to persons sentenced to short-term imprisonment and who had the possibility of serving the sentence in their homes.

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