HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE BEGINS NEW SESSION IN GENEVA, REPORTS ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS IMPLEMENTATION

15 October 1997

Press Release
HR/CT/498

HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE BEGINS NEW SESSION IN GENEVA, REPORTS ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS IMPLEMENTATION

19971015 Background Release Senegal, Jamaica, Iraq, Sudan, Belarus, and Lithuania Will be Considered

GENEVA, 15 October (UN Information Service) -- The Human Rights Committee will consider reports from six countries on their efforts to implement the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights at its sixty-first session which begins in Geneva next Monday, 20 October and will continue until 7 November.

The countries are among 140 States which are party to the Covenant. Under the terms of the treaty, they must inform the Committee from time to time on measures taken to put the provisions of the Covenant into effect. Government delegations will be present to introduce the reports and to respond to oral and written questions from members of the Committee.

The countries whose reports are to be reviewed at the new session of the Committee are Senegal, Jamaica, Iraq, Sudan, Belarus and Lithuania.

The Committee consists of 18 independent human rights experts. It will also consider, in closed session, confidential communications sent to it by individuals claiming to be victims of violations of the rights contained in the Covenant. This procedure takes place under the First Optional Protocol to the Covenant, and is open only to persons residing in the 92 countries which are States parties to the Protocol.

Provisional Timetable This is the provisional timetable for the Committee's consideration of reports from the six countries: Senegal (document CCPR/C/103/Add.1) -- Tuesday, 21 October; Jamaica (CCPR/C/42/Add.15) -- Thursday, 23 October; Iraq (CCPR/C/103/Add.2) -- Monday, 27 October; Sudan (CCPR/C/75/Add.2) -- Tuesday, 28 October; Belarus (CCPR/C/84/Adds. 4 and 7) -- Thursday, 30 October; Lithuania (CCPR/C/81/Add.10) -- Friday, 31 October.

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights 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.

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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 the Covenant These 140 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, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakstan, Kenya, Kuwait and the Kyrgyz Republic. Also, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Monacco, 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, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Tajikistan, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Optional Protocols to the 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.

These 92 States are parties to the Optional Protocol: Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Benin,

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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, Greece, Guinea, Guyana, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Kyrgyz Republic and Latvia. Also, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, 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, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Zaire and Zambia. 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 30 States -- Australia, Austria, Croatia, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, Germany, Greece, 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 who sit in their personal capacities 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: Nisuke Ando, (Japan); Prafullachandra Natwarlal Bhagwati, (India); Thomas Buergenthal (United States); Christine Chanet (France); Lord Colville (United Kingdom); Omran El Shafei (Egypt); Elizabeth Evatt (Australia); Eckart Klein (Germany); David Kretzmer (Israel); Pilar Gaitan de Pombo (Colombia); Rajsoomer Lallah (Mauritius); Cecilia Medina Quiroga (Chile); Fausto Pocar (Italy); Julio Prado Vallejo (Ecuador); Martin Scheinin (Finland); Danilo Türk (Slovenia), and Maxwell Yalden (Canada).

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