COMMISSION URGES HUMAN RIGHTS IMPROVEMENTS IN AFGHANISTAN, RWANDA, EQUATORIAL GUINEA
Press Release
HR/CN/871
COMMISSION URGES HUMAN RIGHTS IMPROVEMENTS IN AFGHANISTAN, RWANDA, EQUATORIAL GUINEA
19980424 (Reissued as received.)GENEVA, 21 April (UN Information Service) -- The Commission on Human Rights expressed concern this afternoon over what it termed a deteriorating human rights situation in Afghanistan, citing, among other things, violations of the rights of women. It also called for continuing and expanded efforts to protect human rights in Rwanda and Equatorial Guinea.
In a resolution introduced by the Chairman, the Commission noted with deep concern continuing and substantiated reports of violations of the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan, particularly in areas under the control of the Taliban; and intensification of armed hostilities which had resulted in extensive human suffering and forced displacement and reports of mass killings and atrocities committed by combatants against civilian populations and prisoners of war. It also condemned frequent arbitrary arrest and detention and summary trials which had resulted in summary executions throughout the country. It urged all States to respect the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and national unity of Afghanistan and to refrain from interfering with its internal affairs. It urged all Afghan parties to cease hostilities immediately.
The Commission encouraged further efforts of the Government of Rwanda to build a State based on the guarantee of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms; reiterated its strong condemnation of the crime of genocide; urged the Government to give utmost priority to the prosecution and punishment of crimes of sexual violence committed against women; strongly condemned continuing violence and genocidal activities perpetrated in Rwanda by former members of the Rwandan Armed Forces, Interahamwe and other insurgent groups; and condemned the illegal sale and distribution of arms. It extended for a further year the mandate of its Special Representative on the situation in Rwanda.
In a resolution on Equatorial Guinea, the Commission encouraged the Government to pursue the efforts to effectively integrate women into the process of the socio-economic, cultural and political development of the country, called upon the Government to take appropriate measures to avoid any form of discrimination against ethnic groups, and encouraged it to take necessary measures to avoid acts of torture.
In a separate measure the Commission condemned extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions around the world and demanded that governments ensure that such practices be brought to an end.
In a decision on the human rights situation in Cyprus, the group decided to give the subject due priority at its next session and announced that action required by previous Commission resolutions would continue to remain operative.
Action on Resolutions
In a resolution adopted by consensus on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions (document E/CN.4/1998/L.90), the Commission strongly condemned such acts; demanded that Governments ensure that such practices be brought to an end; noted that impunity continued to be a major cause of the perpetuation of such human rights violations; called upon the Governments of all States in which the death penalty had not been abolished to comply with their obligations under international human rights instruments, keeping in mind the safeguards and guarantees set out; urged the Special Rapporteur to draw the attention of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to particularly serious situations involving such violations, or where early action might prevent further deterioration; urged Governments to undertake all possible measures to prevent loss of life during situations of public demonstrations, internal and communal violence, disturbances, tension and public emergency or armed conflict, and to ensure that police and security forces received thorough training in human rights matters; strongly urged all Governments to cooperate with the Special Rapporteur and to respond to communications submitted to them by the Special Rapporteur; expressed concern that a number of Governments mentioned in the Special Rapporteur's report had not replied to specific allegations transmitted to them; and decided to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur for three years.
NANCY RUBIN (United States) said her country was pleased to join the consensus on L.90 and renew the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions for another three years. It was the understanding of the United States that the primary mandate of the Special Rapporteur focused on investigating countries where extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions were a major problem. His secondary mandate might focus on whether international standards were met in nations where capital punishment was in force; it should not, however, address the issue of abolition itself. The United States was very disappointed with this year's report on the country, as it left out extensive information about the strong effective protections in the American legal system. None the less, the Special Rapporteur had done an outstanding job in Bosnia and Rwanda, and the United States was pleased to be able to join the consensus and renew this important mandate.
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MUNIR AKRAM (Pakistan) said there had been positive developments in the human rights situation in Iran. Since assuming office in August 1997, the new President of Iran had launched various initiatives to further consolidate democratic institutions, reinforce the rule of law, promote the rights of women, and further ensure freedom of expression. The draft resolution presented by the European Union and others, instead of seeking to encompass those positive trends, focused on isolated cases. It was repetitious, long and contained certain factual errors. Not a single country or group could claim to have created an ideal society where human rights violations did not occur. If isolated incidents were to be the criteria for resolutions, the list of resolutions would undoubtedly be extremely long. The draft resolution did not encourage the Government of Iran to promote and protect human rights. The Special Representative on Iran, in his presentation to the Commission, said that he hoped the resolution to be adopted would reflect and welcome the prospect of substantial change that was clearly evident in that dynamic society. The current draft did not send that message; rather, it gave the wrong message that cooperation did not pay. The amendments Pakistan had presented on behalf of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) had only been circulated this morning, so Pakistan requested a deferral of the vote for 24 hours.
AUDREY GLOVER (United Kingdom) said it was always open to consultations. However, the amendments presented by Pakistan had been submitted very late. After discussions with the sponsors and co-sponsors, the amendments were found to be unacceptable: they undermined the original text and destroyed the balance which had been carefully constructed.
NACER BENJELOUN TOUIMI (Morocco) said Morocco's European friends seemed to lack a certain perseverance in their efforts. Morocco did not expect them to accept the suggestions of the OIC without discussion, but it hoped they would work on them and make them acceptable. The text of the current draft turned towards the past and contained elements which were unacceptable. Morocco hoped the co-sponsors would take the trouble to discuss the suggestions for 24 hours.
In a resolution adopted by consensus on the situation of human rights in Rwanda (document E/CN.4/1998/L.101), the Commission commended the Government of Rwanda for the cooperation and assistance extended to the Special Representative and the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, and noted its cooperation with the Human Rights field operation in Rwanda; encouraged further efforts of the Government to build a State based on the guarantee of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms; reiterated its strong condemnation of the crime of genocide, crimes against humanity and all other violations of human rights perpetrated in Rwanda and expressed its concern at the continuation of human rights in Rwanda; reaffirmed that all persons who committed or authorized acts of genocide or other grave violations of human rights and international humanitarian law were individually responsible and
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accountable for those violations; and urged the Government to give utmost priority to the prosecution and punishment of crimes of sexual violence committed against women.
The Commission also strongly condemned continuing violence and genocidal activities perpetrated in Rwanda by former members of the Rwandan Armed Forces, Interahamwe and other insurgent groups; condemned the illegal sale and distribution of arms which undermines peace and stability in Rwanda and the region; encouraged the Government to continue to investigate and prosecute violations of human rights and humanitarian law committed by individual members of the security forces; affirmed the importance it attached to the safety of the staff of the United Nations and other humanitarian workers serving in Rwanda; expressed its deep concern regarding the conflict in the northwest of Rwanda and recognized the need to improve monitoring of human rights abuses in that region; expressed concern that perpetrators of the genocide and other gross violations of human rights continued to evade justice; reiterated its request that all States cooperate fully with the International Tribunal for Rwanda and the Government in ensuring that all those responsible for the crime of genocide, crimes against humanity and other grave violations of human rights were brought to justice; reiterated its concern at the conditions of detention of some detention centres; reiterated its appeal to the international community to provide financial and technical assistance to the Government to help strengthen the administration of justice; commended the Special Representative for his work and decided to extend his mandate for a further year.
GAVIN BUCHAN (Canada) said his delegation believed that the text of L.101 was a sound one -- it struck a good, careful balance between monitoring continued human rights concerns and supporting the efforts of the Government of Rwanda to address those concerns.
In a resolution adopted without a vote on the human rights situation in Afghanistan (document E/CN.4/1998/L.91), the Commission noted with deep concern the ongoing deterioration of the situation; the continuing and substantiated reports of violations of the rights of women and girls, particularly in areas under the control of the Taliban; intensification of armed hostilities which had resulted in extensive human suffering and forced displacement, including on the grounds of ethnicity; reports of mass killings and atrocities committed by combatants against civilian populations and prisoners of war; the continued displacement of millions of Afghan refugees in Pakistan and Iran; reports of the destruction and looting of the cultural and historical heritage of Afghanistan; condemned the widespread human-rights violations; frequent arbitrary arrest and detention and summary trials which had resulted in summary executions; all actions interfering with the delivery of humanitarian assistance to civilians; urged all States to respect the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and national unity of Afghanistan and to refrain from interfering with its internal affairs; urged
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all Afghan parties to cease hostilities immediately and to lay the foundation for a comprehensive political solution; to end without delay all violations of the human rights of women and girls; to respect fully international humanitarian law and, among other things, top stop the laying of landmines; to provide remedies to victims of grave human-rights violations and to bring perpetrators to trial; to fulfil their obligations regarding the safety of all personnel of diplomatic missions, the United Nations and other international organizations; to provide the International Committee of the Red Cross access to all prisoners; to treat all suspects, prisoners, and detainees in accordance with international standards; and decided to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur for a further year.
In a resolution adopted by consensus on the situation of human rights in Equatorial Guinea and assistance in the field of human rights (document E/CN.4/1998/L.104), the Commission encouraged the Government of Equatorial Guinea to pursue the efforts which it had already undertaken to effectively integrate women into the process of the socio-economic, cultural and political development of the country; called upon the Government to take appropriate measures to avoid any form of discrimination against ethnic groups; encouraged the Government to continue its efforts to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms as contained in its programme of priorities in the fields of democracy, human rights and governance, in particular to take necessary measures to avoid acts of torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and continue its efforts to investigate and impose criminal and disciplinary penalties on those responsible for the violation of human rights; called upon the Government to adopt the necessary measures to guarantee transparency and respect for the electoral process in the legislative elections to be held in 1998; requests the High Commissioner for Human Rights to provide technical assistance in order to support the initiate and efforts of the Government to establish the Centre for the Promotion of Human Rights and Democracy; also requested the High Commissioner and the Special Rapporteur to continue the technical assistance programme in partnership with the Government; and decided to renew the mandate of the Special Rapporteur for one year.
Through a text read by the Commission's Chairman concerning the question of human rights in Cyprus, the Commission decided, without a vote, to retain its agenda item 10 (a) entitled, "Question of human rights in Cyprus", and to give it due priority at its fifty-fifth session, it being understood that action required by previous resolutions of the Commission on the subject would continue to remain operative, including the request to the Secretary-General to provide a report to the Commission regarding their implementation.
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