COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS CONTINUES GENERAL DEBATE ON VIOLATION OF RIGHTS AND FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS
Press Release
HR/CN/858
COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS CONTINUES GENERAL DEBATE ON VIOLATION OF RIGHTS AND FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS
19980416 (Reissued as received.)GENEVA, 14 April (UN Information Service) -- The Commission on Human Rights this evening continued its general debate on the violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms in any part of the world.
During the meeting, a large number of non-governmental organizations levelled accusations of abuses against specific countries, eliciting responses from Sudan, Bahrain, Costa Rica and Belarus. The evening discussion also saw Algeria, Iraq and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea reply to charges made against them earlier today.
The Commission also re-opened its general debate on the promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms and advisory services. Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, Chairman of the fourth meeting of special rapporteurs, representatives, experts, and chairpersons of the working groups on special procedures for the Commission on Human Rights and the Advisory Services Programme, said special rapporteurs understood the need to strive to improve their work, but to do that they needed increased support.
The following non-governmental organizations addressed the Commission this evening: International Federation of Human Rights Leagues; International Fellowship of Reconciliation; Pax Romana; Inter-Parliamentary Union; Baha'i International; Worldview International Community; International Human Rights Law Group; Arab Lawyers Union; Aliran Kesedaran Negara-National Consciousness Movement; Catholic Institute for International Relations; International Organization for the Development of Freedom of Education; International Women's Tribune Centre; Service, Peace and Justice in Latin America; Asian Buddhist Conference for Peace; Latin American and Caribbean Committee for the Defense of Women's Rights; Movement Against Racism and for Friendship Among Peoples; International League for the Rights and Liberation of Peoples; World Federation for Mental Health; Federation of Associations for the Defense and Promotion of Human Rights; International Peace Bureau; Society for Threatened Peoples; Canadian Council of Churches; Christian Democrat International; World Alliance of Reformed Churches; International Confederation of Free Trade
Unions; International League for Human Rights; Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Centre for Human Rights; and the General Arab Women Federation.
The delegations of Sudan, Algeria, Iraq, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Bahrain, Costa Rica and Belarus exercised their rights of reply.
Statements in Debate
PARFAIT MOUKOKO, of the International Federation of Human Rights, said dialogue for human rights defenders did not mean silence after hearing governments speak. There should be a transparent public debate in all aspects of human rights, whether in the Commission or in other forums. In Algeria, violence had been stepped up, with the authorities refusing the proposal for the sending of an investigative group to the country. The truth was that the Algerian authorities had the obligation to go beyond paying lip service to the idea of bringing an end to a situation which had resulted in numerous victims. Next door to Algeria, in Tunisia, human rights defenders were under great pressure from the Government.
JONATHAN SISSON, of the International Fellowship of Reconciliation, said that although over the years the consistent pattern of neglect and abuse of the fundamental human rights of the Tibetan people by the Chinese Government had been documented, there had been no resolution condemning China for its policies in Tibet; this was due to political pressure rather than lack of substance of evidence. Although this year there would again be no resolution on China, it was important to continue to document such violations. The efforts by the Chinese Government to integrate Tibet fully into China had resulted in a serious disregard for the rights guaranteed by the International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Violations of human rights of the nature and scale as those in Tibet were a form of structural violence which was typical of colonial systems. A special rapporteur should be appointed to investigate the situation in Tibet.
GERHARD RAM MOLT, of Pax Romana, said declarations about human rights by countries were always a step forward, but were only effective if translated into practice; emphasis must be put on preventing violations. In Iran, executions, death penalties for crimes which never could be considered "grave", torture, and intolerance based on religion and opinion were still going on despite what newly elected President Khatami said. Khatami's ascension made no difference in the daily plight of women, who faced widespread discrimination and were treated with such punishments as public flogging and heavy fines for wearing attire that was not approved by the regime. Stoning was still used to kill women. The Commission must urge the Iranian Government to adhere to the relevant convention on women's rights. In Equatorial Guinea some of the laws passed as a result of political and democratic agreements had not been put into practice, while others were an
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outrage against the most basic democratic principles, including one banning any coalition among political parties, thus ensuring perpetual dictatorship. The Special Rapporteur should push for a permanent dialogue between the Government and different social and ethnic groups in the country.
CLAUDIA KISSLING, of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, said in view of the their constitutional role as legislators and overseers of he executive branch, parliamentarian had a prime responsibility to promote and protect human rights. But it might happen that, in fulfilling that duty, they could face serious difficulties and themselves fall victim to arbitrary action. Therefore, the Inter-Parliamentary Union had set up a committee with the task of investigating alleged violations of human rights of parliamentarians. The Committee, which first examined cases brought before it in a confidential procedure, might decide to make a case public by bringing it before the Inter-Parliamentary Council representing the 137 member parliaments of the Union. Under its public procedure, the Committee was currently dealing with 16 cases regarding 134 parliamentarians in 11 countries.
ELENI FOKA, of the International Federation for the Protection of the Rights of Ethnic, Religious, Linguistic and other Minorities, said she was a teacher in the village of Agia Trias Yallousas in the Karpas peninsula of Cyprus at the time of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974. Following the invasion, all teachers had been taken to the free areas of Cyprus. She had been the only teacher left in her area, taking charge of a school with 74 pupils. As the years passed, the number of pupils had declined because secondary schools were not permitted to be established in the occupied areas; if the students left to finish high school, they were not allowed to return to their village. In 1997, she was left with four little boys. The people of the village lived in fear and oppression; every night, the Turkish settlers threw stones at people's windows, shouted abuse and desecrated the churches. Out of 20,000 people in Karpas in 1974, there were now 450. Their every human right had been violated; even she was now forbidden from returning to her village.
TECHESTE AHDEROM, of the Baha'i International Community, said relentless persecution of the Baha'is continued in Iran. Despite publicity surrounding the supposed new environment of openness in Iran, wide and systematic religious persecution against Baha'is continued unabated. For 18 years, the Community had presented the Commission with indisputable evidence of a wide range of violations of the rights of Baha'is committed by Iran, and Special Rapporteurs and Representatives had repeatedly confirmed the religious nature of these violations. The determination of the Government to destroy the community was obvious, well-devised religious persecution. The Baha'is sought no special privileges; they desired only their rights under international instruments which Iran had signed. It was to be hoped that Iran would uphold the lofty principles it had proclaimed; the Commission must call for immediate
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and full implementation of the recommendations of the Special Rapporteurs referring to the Baha'is, to hasten the emancipation of this beleaguered community.
THAUNG HTUN, of the Worldview International Foundation, said arbitrary arrests of students, Buddhist monks, trade unionists and members of parliament in Myanmar continued despite the Commission's call on the Government to refrain from such acts. It was distressing to hear stories of deaths in custody resulting from harsh prison conditions; the Commission should pay urgent attention to the physical integrity of elderly political prisoners in Burma -- some of whom were around 80 years old -- detained by the military regime in a recent wave of arrests. Over 100 students were arrested this January and February alone in connection with their demand for the reopening of universities closed since December 1996. Further, more than 60 monks were also arrested when they attempted to convene an assembly of Buddhist Monks in Mandalay in December 1997. There were between 1,000 and 2,000 political prisoners in 36 prisons in Burma today.
ISAIAH GANT, of the International Human Rights Law Group, said the 1997 mission of the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions to the United States was critical because no country should be exempt from international scrutiny. The Group was deeply concerned that by failing to ratify key international human rights treaties, the United States was concealing its violations of human rights from international scrutiny. The Special Rapporteur noted that the vestiges of slavery still existed in the United States, and that racial bias could affect who was sentenced to the death; African-Americans continued to be disproportionately affected. The United States and all governments who implemented the death penalty should end that inhuman treatment.
FAROUK ABU EISSA, of the Arab Lawyers Union, said the situation in the Middle East called for deep concern. On the official level, Israel still flouted all international resolutions, and its behaviour would lead to an upsurge of violence in the region; illegal detentions continued, the number of Palestinian detainees amounting to 3,500; they were being held as bargaining chips in inhuman conditions by Israel. There were serious crimes being committed by terrorist and fundamentalist groups in Algeria, Egypt, and Sudan. The Islamic Front of Sudan continued to deny its clear responsibility for abuses committed there. On 2 April near Khartoum, students had been forcibly detained when they had sought leave to go home for the feast period. The regime denied inhuman treatment but could not deny this event, where the students had fled and had drowned when their boat sank. In Africa, full support should be given to democratic movements. Meanwhile, double standards on human rights by the international community, such as the economic blockades against Iraq and Libya, must end.
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DEBBIE STOTHARD, of the National Consciousness Movement, said the refusal of the military junta of Burma to recognize the urgent need to cease the violation of the rights of the peoples of Burma and to engage in genuine dialogue with the Government-elect was making a mockery of the United Nations system. The actions of governments, some of whom were actually members of the Commission, to support the regime, was a further mockery: they cheapened the United Nations by providing economic and diplomatic alibis for that regime. Admission of the regime into the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) had not substantially changed its behaviour. Indeed, eight months of membership had seen an increase in violations, including arbitrary arrests, extra-judicial killings, forced relocations and forced labour.
NELSON DE JESUS GUTERRES AMARAL, of the Catholic Institute for International Relations, said he had left East Timor in January because he was being persecuted by the Indonesian armed forces occupying his country. After his arrest with two companions in August 1996, he had been tortured, given electric shocks to the head, armpits and genitals, and burned with cigarettes. Following his release on Christmas Eve of 1996, he went underground for a year before going to Jakarta and taking refuge in the Spanish Embassy. He was lucky: the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) had intervened in his case. Unfortunately, the small ICRC delegation in Dili did not have the resources to take action on other cases. The Commission was urged to take steps to encourage the Government of Indonesia to allow free access to non-governmental organizations. A visit by the Special Rapporteur on Torture would also go a long way towards addressing the problem of torture in East Timor. These steps, combined with the withdrawal of Indonesian armed forces, would significantly reduce human rights violations in the island.
PAULO SERGIO PINHEIRO, Chairman of the fourth meeting of special rapporteurs, representatives, experts, and chairpersons of the working group of the special procedures for the Commission on Human Rights and the Advisory Services Programme, said the group stressed that special rapporteurs were agents not of confidential but of public procedures; their reports were public and the human rights mechanisms enjoyed a relationship with the media that derived from the basic principle of transparency. Rapporteurs and experts were supposed to be immune from search, seizure, prosecution and arrest, as prescribed by the United Nations. That was why the group was profoundly dismayed and concerned over the recent refusal by a court of a member State to recognize that a colleague, Param Cumaraswamy, the Special Rapporteur on independence of judges and lawyers, enjoyed such protections. That court decision was an attack on the entire system of the United Nations human rights mechanisms: it could have a chilling effect on the ability of independent experts to speak out against international human rights abuses.
Special rapporteurs understood the need to strive to improve their work, but to do that they needed increased support, he said. It was to be hoped
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that the restructuring of the Office of the High Commissioner would create conditions needed to strengthen the servicing and resources available to special rapporteurs; there was now a contradiction between the stated commitment to human rights and the resources allocated. The group also considered it extremely important to establish a dialogue with member States and that emphasis must be placed on promoting interaction -- any reform of the way special procedures worked must be considered as a cooperative exercise.
ALFRED FERNANDEZ, of the International Organization for the Development of Freedom of Education, said within the framework of the Human Rights Summer University, the organization accorded a privileged place to the dialogue between cultures and religions around the value of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This year, the group would strengthen the dialogue, making it universal in all sessions of the courses. The University was the occasion to launch the Decade for Human Rights Education. The group had also created a summer university of human rights for political decision makers, diplomates and non-governmental organizations.
SUSANA FRIED, of the International Women's Tribune Centre, said the international community needed to act on the continuing reports concerning the violations of human rights of women. The Centre called upon Governments and intergovernmental bodies to note that the Beijing Platform for Action detailed the implementation of the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights for women; there should be more resources available for the implementation of the Beijing document. All forms of discrimination against women must be outlawed, and Governments should ensure that women lived free from violence. Steps should be taken to realize women's health, including their sexual and reproductive health. The economic, social and cultural rights of women must also be secured by guaranteeing their rights to development and education.
EMMA MAZA, of the Service, Peace and Justice in Latin America, said it was important to strengthen national human rights institutions. At the fourth workshop for such institutions the High Commissioner Human Rights had stressed the importance of autonomy and independence for such institutions; they should have mandates and powers to fully watch over and protect human rights. Many States had not set up such institutions; others had set them up but had not given them sufficient autonomy and power. For example, in Mexico, the institutions did not meet the established criteria; they were not independent of the executive branch of Government; the national institution did not have financial autonomy and had a restricted mandate; its recommendations were not binding; that kept it from fully carrying out its role. Some Mexican commissions were more diligent than others; often recommendations of Special Rapporteurs were not applied or only partially applied. Figures on human-rights complaints were a subject of discrepancy from year to year and from one human-rights body and another in Mexico; there was great potential
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for the Mexican human rights system, and the Government should be encouraged to heed recommendations for its improvement.
HAYLEY ICHILCIK, of the Asian Buddhist Conference for Peace, said Indonesia had failed to safeguard and protect the rights of East Timorese women. On the contrary, the Indonesian Government had supported and condoned the use of violence against East Timorese women through the direct practices of its military forces occupying East Timor. Timorese women were targeted and raped by the military, which thus sought to destroy the very social fabric and cohesion of Timorese society and discourage the resistance of the people to the occupation. Women were also raped to force them to disclose information. They could also be targeted because of their won role in the resistance movement or their association and relationship with members of the resistance.
VALERIA PANDJIARJIAN, of the Latin American and Caribbean Committee for the Defense of Women's Rights (CLADEM), said CLADEM assimilated perspectives and rights on six important subjects: the rights to citizenship, development, peace and a violence-free life; sexual and reproductive rights; environmental rights, and the rights of persons and peoples by virtue of their ethnic-racial identity. States should adopt policies to ensure the eradication of poverty, the fair distribution of incomes and the realization of the right to sustainable development.
BEHZAD NAZIRI, of the Movement Against Racism and for Friendship Among Peoples, said State terrorism was being used to violate basic principles of human rights by Iran; more than 220 Iranian political opponents had been murdered, on Government orders, outside Iran's borders since the coming to power of the mullahs. Many of those acts were governed by a special Supreme National Security Council whose task was to eliminate political opponents. Iran tried to mislead the world on that matter; it also tried to mislead the world into thinking that human rights violations within Iran were not that serious. The country's Islamic Commission on Human Rights had members who were directly involved in stonings, other murders, and other serious human rights violations. Flagrant human rights violations in and by Iran must be condemned in a resolution containing the strongest possible terms, with no compromise.
YORGOS TAHTSIDIS, of the International League for the Rights and Liberation of Peoples, said the conflict in Turkish Kurdistan was clearly not of an international character; it thus fell within the Geneva Conventions and the Additional Protocols, to which Turkey was a party. First and foremost, Protocol II applied; it called for the protection of civilians and prohibited the forced movement of populations. Yet, since January 1998, more than 1,200 Kurdish refugees, mainly from Turkey but also from Iraq, had been forced into exile. The reasons for the exodus were many, but the most important ones were the burning of villages and forcible evacuations. Turkey's defensive slogan
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was that such events were the consequence of its actions against a terrorist threat to its national security; that could no longer be accepted, and it had become clear to everybody that a real war going on resulting in that so-called crisis.
WILDA SPALDING, of the World Federation for Mental Health, said there was a need to highlight the mandate to promote mentally, physically and spiritually healthy lives. Among other things, deprivation of self-identity, especially among indigenous peoples, was an important issue which needed to be considered. Studies by thematic special rapporteurs needed to include the issue of mental health; terrorism, for one, was designed to erode mental health. Everyone committed to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights approved of the above mentioned issues and they should work to fulfil them.
FERNANDO MARINO, of the Federation of Associations for the Defense and Promotion of Human Rights, said a project had been prepared by the Federation for setting up a Spanish Commission on Human Rights; the aim was full achievement of human rights in Spain. That body would carry out recommendations of United Nations human rights bodies; it would be independent and have a wide, pluralistic mandate, representing all of civil society. It also would be dedicated to all human rights -- economic and social and cultural along with civil and political. It would carry out education, advisory services, and investigations, without interfering with the courts or ombudsman; it would provide advisory services to the Government. The Commission would not include members of the Government or the administration. The legal instrument setting up such a body would have to be of a high level, with a budget to be adopted and approved by Parliament, to which it would report.
SEIN WIN, of the International Peace Bureau, said he had represented a constituency in Burma during the general election of 1990 when the people overwhelmingly elected the National League for Democracy expecting that democratic governance would protect their fundamental freedoms and basic human rights. However, the will of the people expressed in the 1990 general elections had not yet been honoured. Instead, the Burmese military regime had chosen the path of confrontation with its own peoples. Burma had become a pariah State where grave violations of human rights continued. Since 1989, the Commission had adopted resolutions on human rights in Burma, but none of the terms of the resolutions had been implemented.
MAUNG MIN THU HTAIK, of the Society for Threatened Peoples, said Burma's military regime had, since 1996, conducted a massive forced relocation programme in Shan State to bring the civilian population under control. By the end of 1996, more than 600 villages in an area of 5,000 square miles in central Shan State had been forced to move to strategic relocation sites. When people were relocated, they were usually given only three to five days to
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move, after which period their homes became "free-fire" zones where they could be shot on sight. The worst development in the past year had been the sharp increase in extra-judicial killings of villagers in relocation areas. Apart from killings, other human right abuses, such as torture, rape, arbitrary detention and looting, were common occurrences in those areas. It was human rights abuses such as those that had forced more than 80,000 Shans to seek refuge in Thailand.
ROB SHROPSHIRE, of the Canadian Council of Churches, said the recent massacre in Mexico of 45 Tzotzil indigenous people warned once again of a situation nearing a full-blown humanitarian crisis. In 1997, the Council's Mexican partners noted a marked increase in extrajudicial executions, arbitrary arrests, disappearances, and torture in a context of economic dislocation, growing militarization, and low-intensity war; the war was increasingly carried out by paramilitary groups supported by State security forces; a Special Rapporteur should be appointed for Mexico. In Peru, repeated assaults against independence of the judiciary and increased attacks against journalists and media outlets critical of the Fujimori Government were a cause of concern; torture remained widespread. In Sudan, widespread human rights violations by all parties to the civil war continued; in Nigeria the situation had deteriorated, and there was serious doubt about the Government's intentions to facilitate true democratic rule; in East Timor there were continued human-rights violations, including arbitrary detentions, torture, extra-judicial executions, and disappearances; the Special Rapporteur on torture should visit; the situation elsewhere in Indonesia also was deteriorating.
ANDRES HERNANDEZ-AMOR, of Christian Democrat International, said the Cuban Government's recent change of attitude following the Pope's intervention had resulted in the release of 104 political prisoners. The group would have been happier if a general amnesty were to have been declared for all Cuban prisoners, for in 1997 the number of detainees in Cuba -- including human rights defenders -- had increased. Although some of those had been released, the rest were awaiting the determination of their fate. In Cuban prisons, both political and common law prisoners were suffering from bad conditions, lacking food and medicines. The group recommended that the Government of Cuba open itself to the world.
MOCONG ONGUENE, of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, spoke of arbitrary detention, harassment, torture, ill-treatment and abductions in Equatorial Guinea. The military forces used force and the legal texts and documents were not published or made available. This meant that the rule of law in the country was an abstraction. To stop the concerted problems in Equatorial Guinea, there was a need to publish the code of law. Impunity of state officials was also a problem. The support of the international community was needed to ensure an end of human rights violations.
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DAN CUNNIAH, of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, said there was an increasing number of violations of trade union rights in all parts of the world. They occurred in Australia, Indonesia, China, Nigeria, Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Colombia, Guatemala, Belarus, and Croatia, just to name a few. Last week, in Australia, Patrick Stevedores sacked its entire waterfront workforce of 2,100 after negotiations over new working practices broke down; it was believed that the Australian Government, which had consistently taken an anti-union attitude since its election, had provided a fund to support this sacking of stevedores, of which Aus$150 million was to be used for redundancy payments.
In Indonesia the leader of the SBSI union had been detained since July 1996 and risked the death penalty under treason charges; currently he was suffering in hospital from vertigo and an unidentified lung disease. In China reports showed that the right to freedom of association continued to be severely restricted; now several countries in central and eastern Europe were showing signs of intolerance against trade unions, including Belarus. Other places of concern were Iran, Costa Rica, Niger, Zimbabwe, Chad, Turkey, and Burma. The Commission should take strong measures against violation of freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining.
ANDREI SANNIKOV, of the International League for Human Rights, said it was tragic that 21 years after Charter 77, citizens of Belarus faced the same dangers of totalitarianism and found themselves in the times of the cold war. Today, the totalitarian experiment based on a total denial of human rights and fundamental freedoms was not over in Europe: it continued in Belarus. Belarus lived under an illegitimate constitution that had made possible the abuse of power and dictatorial practices. For example, more than 50 people were detained on 2 April for demonstrating in favour of independence. And while the official delegation of Belarus welcomed the report of the Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, the authorities took further measures to curb that freedom: according to new instructions, officials were banned from giving any information to the non-State press, while State-owned enterprises could not advertise in the non-State media.
XIAO QUANG, of the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Centre for Human Rights, said member States of the Commission should pay close attention to the fact that there had been no substantial change in China's human rights policy in the past year. Whether in the field of civil and political rights or in the field of social and economic rights, basic rights such as freedom of association, assembly and speech continued to be suppressed by the Chinese Government. Chinese authorities often argued that by crushing voices calling for human rights, the Government was ensuring stability and unity. Yet it was precisely the lack of respect for human rights and a legal system protecting individual rights that put China in danger and instability. The promotion and
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protection of human rights in China would require peaceful, fundamental transformation of China's political structures.
JULIET SAYEGH, of the General Arab Women's Federation, said the Federation was gravely concerned about violations of human rights resulting from economic sanctions. Vulnerable groups were apt to suffer greatly under such international steps; several United Nations bodies had expressed caution and called for review of sanctions. Sanctions against Cuba, Libya, and Iraq were tearing those countries apart and causing the greatest damage to the weak and vulnerable. Over the course of the sanctions against Iraq, over one-and-a-half million people had died, most of them children and the elderly. The sanctions had weakened Iraq's ability to provide basic medical care for children, to rebuild and maintain the infrastructure necessary to sustain good health and provide for economic growth. The Commission must call for an end to the sanctions against Iraq and to sanctions against other countries that violated human rights and international law.
Right of Reply
INTISAR ABU NAGMA (Sudan) referring to a statement made this morning by the European Union, said her Government was making efforts to resolve its problems within the framework of the East African Group for Development; Sudan would appreciate the support of the Union in that regard. The Government was committed to promoting and protecting human rights despite persisting problems, as the representative of the Union herself recognized. The Government was not supporting any group of terrorists and it confirmed its condemnation of such activities. As for a statement by the Union of Arab Jurists, that organization had interfered in the internal affairs of the Sudan.
MOHAMED-SALAH DEMBRI (Algeria) speaking in response to the statement by the European Union, said it was unfortunate that the Union had listed violations in 37 countries, all from the South. Algeria noted that the Union, for the first time, clearly condemned terrorist attacks. None the less, his delegation regretted that the reality of terrorism was clouded by a so-called "crisis" of the rule of law. Algeria recalled that many European countries continued to harbour those who carried out some of the worst human rights violations of present times. The Union could also not forget that most of the fatwas against the lives of Algerian citizens had been issued from its territory. It was surprising that the Union statement had not mentioned the political dialogue between it and the Algerian Government. As for any advice that some might want to give for the good functioning of the rule of law, Algeria recalled that its Government had embarked on a process of political renewal to guarantee human rights, liberties and pluralism. Finally, concerning allegations of human rights violation, it was up to those who
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expressed concerns to submit documented proof to the relevant United Nations mechanisms for consideration and proper rebuttal.
AKRAM ALDURI (Iraq) said the United States and New Zealand had mentioned Iraq; but the suffering of Iraqis over the last seven years had been caused by the United States. The international embargo against Iraq orchestrated by the United States and the United Kingdom had killed one and a half million people, most of them women and children; the supposed concerns cited by the United States amounted to crocodile tears. As for what was said by New Zealand, if the United Kingdom wanted to provide food aid to Iraq, it could address ending the embargo.
KIM SUNG CHOL (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) said his delegation strongly denounced and rejected the statement made this morning by the European Union as a preposterous attempt on the part of the forces who were abusing the current meeting to devise another plot against his country. Instead of blaming themselves for their own problems of violation of human rights, those forces were commenting on others' human rights. Through those arbitrary practices one could only see that the Union was exhausting itself to try to be the unchallenged judge of human rights in the international court of human rights.
SAEED AL-FAIHANI (Bahrain) said some non-governmental organizations made groundless accusations. Bahrain would have liked the concerned NGOs to investigate the truth of their statements. Such allegations were put forward by organizations which promoted terrorism and wanted to set up an extremist regime. Bahrain hoped that this session of the Commission would concentrate on human rights; however, it had heard statements which had clear political motivations and did not aim at the promotion of human rights. Bahrain condemned the use of democracy within the Commission to achieve political goals.
JOAQUIN ALVAREZ (Costa Rica) said unfounded references had been made about violation of trade union rights in Costa Rica; but Costa Rica, for more than a hundred years, had been a bastion of human rights and freedoms. Trade union rights were in the Constitution; to say that there were trade union violations in Costa Rica, and then not to back up the allegation, saying there was not enough time, as an NGO had done, was a very suspicious thing to do, and unworthy of the Commission.
STANISLAU AGURTSOU (Belarus) said the representative of the International League for Human Rights was in fact one of the political opponents of the regime. He had used the Commission to disseminate false allegations. The country's Constitution had been adopted in a referendum -- it had received the people's approval. It was more interesting to talk about the football game between Spartak Moscow and Milan than to waste time listening to that NGO's statement.
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