HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE TO HOLD FIFTY-SIXTH SESSION AT HEADQUARTERS, 18 MARCH - 4 APRIL

14 March 1996

Press Release
HR/CT/450

HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE TO HOLD FIFTY-SIXTH SESSION AT HEADQUARTERS, 18 MARCH - 4 APRIL

19960314 Background Release Will Consider Reports of Mauritius Spain, Guatemala, Zambia, Peru and Nigeria

Reports submitted by the Governments of Mauritius, Spain, Guatemala, Zambia, Peru and Nigeria on the measures they have adopted to implement the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights will be considered by the Human Rights Committee at its forthcoming session, to be held at Headquarters from 18 March to 4 April.

The six countries presenting reports are among the 132 States parties to the International Covenant. The Committee, as a monitoring body, periodically examines reports submitted by States parties on their promotion and protection of civil and political rights. Representatives of those governments will introduce their country reports and respond to oral and written questions from the Committee's 18 members, who serve in their personal capacity.

According to a provisional timetable, the Committee will take up the third periodic report of Mauritius on 19 March, the fourth periodic report of Spain on 20 March and the initial report of Guatemala on 26 March. It will take up Zambia's second periodic report on 26 March, and the third periodic report of Peru on 28 March. Finally, on 1 April, it will consider an urgent report submitted by Nigeria.

Under the Optional Protocol to the Covenant, the Committee will also consider confidential communications from individuals claiming to be victims of violations of any of the rights proclaimed in the Covenant. Taking into account the deadlines for submission of further information by the parties, 41 cases may be considered for the adoption of final views and 87 cases for a decision on admissibility. In accordance with provisions of the first Optional Protocol and Committee's rules of procedures, all such communications are considered in closed meetings.

Also during its current session, the Committee will resume its consideration of a draft general comment regarding article 25 of the Covenant. That article addresses the right to take part in the conduct of public affairs, the right to vote and to be elected, and the right to access to public service. The Committee will also review past general comments with a

view to identifying Covenant provisions which have not yet been addressed, as well as comments which need to be updated.

A list of pending reports by States parties which have been received by the Secretary-General, as well as of outstanding reports, is contained in the Committee's annotated provisional agenda (document CCPR/C/111).

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights was adopted by the General Assembly and opened for signature in 1966, together with the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, both of which entered into force in 1976.

The Civil and Political Rights Covenant begins by stating that all peoples have the right of self-determination. It recognizes that everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person. It prohibits torture, cruel or degrading treatment or punishment, and the arbitrary deprivation of life. Anyone arrested is to be informed of the reasons for the arrest, and anyone arrested or detained on a criminal charge is to be brought promptly before a judge or other legally authorized person.

The Covenant also provides, among other things, for freedom of movement, and places limitations upon the expulsion of aliens present lawfully in the territory of a State party. In addition, the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion and to freedom of expression are recognized by the Covenant, which also prohibits any propaganda for war or any advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred.

States Parties to Covenant

The following 132 States have ratified or acceded to the Covenant: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Hungary, Iceland, India, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya and Kyrgyz Republic.

Also, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Senegal, Seychelles, Slovak

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Republic, Slovenia, Somalia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zaire, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Optional Protocols to Covenant

The first Optional Protocol to the Covenant provides for the confidential consideration of communications from individuals who claim to be victims of a violation of any of the rights proclaimed in the Covenant. No communications can be received by the Committee if it concerns a State party to the Covenant that is not also a party to the Optional Protocol.

The following 87 States are parties to the Optional Protocol: Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Finland, France, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Guinea, Guyana, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Kyrgyz Republic and Latvia.

Also, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malta, Mauritius, Mongolia, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Senegal, Seychelles, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Somalia, Spain, Suriname, Sweden, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, Ukraine, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Zaire and Zambia.

The Human Rights Committee is also mandated, under article 41 of the Covenant, to consider communications from a State party alleging violations of the Covenant's provisions by another State party. This procedure can be applied when both States recognize this competence of the Committee by a relevant declaration.

So far, 45 States have made the declaration under article 41. They are: Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Congo, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, Gambia, Germany, Guyana, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Senegal, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States and Zimbabwe.

The second Optional Protocol to the Covenant, which aims at the abolition of the death penalty, was adopted by the General Assembly on

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15 December 1989 and entered into force on 11 July 1991. It has been ratified or acceded to by 29 States: Australia, Austria, Croatia, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Mozambique, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Portugal, Romania, Seychelles, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Uruguay and Venezuela.

Membership of Committee

The Committee's 18 expert members are elected by the State parties to the Covenant for a term of four years. Article 28 of the Covenant requires that "they shall be persons of high moral character and recognized competence in the field of human rights".

They are: Francisco José Aguilar Urbina, of Costa Rica; Nisuke Ando, of Japan; Tamas Ban, of Hungary; Prafullachandra Natwarlal Bhagwati, of India; Marco Tulio Bruni Celli, of Venezuela; Thomas Buergenthal, of the United States; Christine Chanet, of France; Lord John Mark Alexander Colville, of the United Kingdom; Omran El-Shafei, of Egypt; Elizabeth Evatt, of Australia; Laurel Francis, of Jamaica; Eckart Klein, of Germany; David Kretzmer, of Israel; Rajsoomer Lallah, of Mauritius; Andreas V. Mavrommatis, of Cyprus; Cecilia Medina Quiroga, of Chile; Fausto Pocar, of Italy; and Julio Prado Vallejo, of Ecuador.

The officers of the Committee are: Mr. Aguilar Urbina of Costa Rica, Chairman; Mr. Ban, Mr. El-Shafei and Mr. Bhagwati, Vice-Chairmen; and Ms. Chanet, Rapporteur.

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