HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE TO MEET AT HEADQUARTERS 24 MARCH - 11 APRIL
Press Release
HR/CT/476
HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE TO MEET AT HEADQUARTERS 24 MARCH - 11 APRIL
19970321 Background Release Will Consider Reports of Bolivia, Colombia, Georgia, Lebanon and Portugal (Macau)Reports submitted by the Governments of Bolivia, Colombia, Georgia, Lebanon and Portugal (with respect to the territory of Macau) 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 24 March to 11 April.
The five countries presenting reports are among the 136 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 its provisional timetable, the Committee will take up the second periodic report of Bolivia on 25 March, the initial report of Georgia on 26 March, the fourth periodic report of Colombia on 31 March, the third periodic report of Portugal (Macau) on 4 April and the second periodic report of Lebanon on 7 April.
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, 44 cases may be considered for the adoption of final views and 97 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.
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/119).
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 136 States have ratified or acceded to the Covenant: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, 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, Kyrgyz Republic and Kuwait.
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, Sierra Leone, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Somalia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Thailand, 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.
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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.
As of 17 March, the following 90 States are parties to the first 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, Côte d'Ivoire, 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, Latvia and Malawi.
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, Sierra Leone, 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 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,
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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 to serve in their individual capacities for four-year terms. 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: Nisuke Ando, of Japan; Prafullachandra Natwarlal Bhagwati, of India; 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; Eckart Klein, of Germany; David Kretzmer, of Israel; Pilar Gaitan de Pombo, of Colombia; Rajsoomer Lallah, of Mauritius; Cecilia Medina Quiroga, of Chile; Laure Moghaizel, of Lebanon; Fausto Pocar, of Italy; Julio Prado Vallejo, of Ecuador; Martin Scheinin, of Finland; Danilo Turk, of Slovenia; and Maxwell Yalden, of Canada.
The officers of the Committee will be elected at the outset of the current session.
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