PRESS BRIEFING BY HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

Press Briefing

PRESS BRIEFING BY HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

The Office of the Human Rights Commissioner needed more resources to support human rights mechanisms and treaty bodies and to be a catalyst for human rights initiatives, the High Commissioner, Mary Robinson, said at a Headquarters' press briefing this morning.

Noting that the resources of the Office were overstretched, she said she was determined to bridge the gap between under-resourcing and under-commitment and rhetoric on the importance of human rights. If human rights were to be taken very seriously, then the Office of the Human Rights Commissioner needed the capacity to do that. "I'm aware of the overall context in which this had to be addressed, and I understand that context", she said. She was compelled not just to renew commitment to human rights, but to urge implementation of all human rights instruments. It was a challenge that would also involve a wider civil society.

She was encouraged that the Secretary-General would follow through on the issues that she had raised in her General Assembly statement this morning, including the translation of the words of the Universal Declaration -- whose fiftieth anniversary was being observed today -- into action. Other issues included bringing home the Declaration to citizens and implementing the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders in practical terms.

Mrs. Robinson said she was trying to give leadership in a way that the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights had been intended to, when it had been created just under five years ago. It would take a lot of perseverance, she said.

A correspondent asked whether the High Commissioner's Office would take a look at the case of a Canadian facing execution in Texas, if a temporary stay of execution granted him was overturned. She was aware of the case, she said, and had discussed it with Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy during a recent visit to Canada. She had also raised the case in talks with State Department officials in Washington, D.C., yesterday. She told correspondents that she had expressed concerns about procedures regarding access to counsel in the case of the Canadian. She understood that the Clinton administration had been in touch with Texas Governor George W. Bush on the matter.

She welcomed the recognition given to the important international dimension of the issues involved in the case, she continued. She had also expressed overall concern about the extent of the use of the death penalty in the United States and specifically about the case. She hoped Governor Bush and the administration of the state of Texas would look again at the issues involved and not simply follow what seemed to be the death penalty becoming a way of addressing issues of criminality.

Should dictators be concerned that they would be forced to face justice, in the light of the latest decision by the British Home Secretary Jack Straw in the case of General Augusto Pinochet? a correspondent asked. Mrs. Robinson said she had welcomed the ruling of the British House of Lords that the former Chilean military leader did not have sovereign immunity as a former Head of State. That decision had reaffirmed international principles and the importance of international jurisdiction and responsibilities of governments. She equally welcomed the step taken by the British Home Secretary yesterday to give "authority to proceed" to the request for General Pinochet's extradition to Spain. The case was encouraging human rights defenders worldwide to believe that there were international principles of law and justice and that they were, painfully, being put in place.

She welcomed the signing of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, adding that it was important that countries which had difficulties with the Statute begin a dialogue about how they could move forward with the jurisdiction established to fully address the issues. Good experience had been achieved with the International Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda and the Former Yugoslavia, she said. The argument about the need for a permanent international criminal court had been enforced by the complex but important proceedings such as that of General Pinochet, she said.

A correspondent remarked that there were many who argued that those officials in the United States who had supported General Pinochet's Government at that time should also be held accountable. Mrs. Robinson said any person charged with crimes against humanity and genocide under international jurisdiction could be prosecuted. It was possible that the extradition of others could be sought.

How was it possible to bridge the different interpretation put on human rights by people of different cultures? another correspondent asked. Mrs. Robinson said she agreed with the emphasis the Secretary-General had put on the fact there were no Irish or African human rights. "The universality of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights is its striking and compelling message." People suffering under dictatorial regimes would say that they wanted their rights; they wanted to freely express their views, and to have a fair trial. They would also say that they wanted the right to vote, to food, housing and shelter. She said, "I think approaches to human rights have been manipulated for political reasons. I think it is important, as High Commissioner, that I seek to open up and help shape that debate".

She said she had accepted an invitation to organize commentaries on Islamic perspectives on human rights. The title of the seminar was "Enriching the universality of human rights: Commentaries from Islamic perspectives". A book on the seminar was to be published. There was a lot to be gained from that kind of dialogue.

Robinson Briefing - 3 - 10 December 1998

A correspondent observed that approximately 70 per cent of the people of the world had never heard of the Declaration, according to a publication issued in connection with the fiftieth anniversary celebration. How could she fulfil her responsibilities if that was the case? the correspondent asked. She said the information from a survey was a sobering fact. "I think we have to be conscious that the Universal Declaration is not as well known as we would like it to be. This year had created a great sense of awareness, she said. That was why in her speech before the General Assembly she had tried to be practical about the obligation and responsibilities of governments to make the Declaration known to their citizens.

Mrs. Robinson said she was glad that the Secretary-General would support follow-up action on that. She welcomed the Secretary-General's committed leadership on the issue of human rights. "It's good to serve as a High Commissioner for Human Rights under a Secretary-General who has such a personal commitment, as well as the knowledge of the leadership he can play."

A correspondent asked for a comment on the effects on human rights in Colombia of the United States-backed campaign of the Colombia army to rid the country of illegal drugs. Mrs. Robinson said she had recently visited the country, and had met with her colleagues at the human rights office in Bogota. She was aware of the strong sense of importance of that office to various elements of society, including non-governmental organizations which needed a strong human rights presence. Such a presence was also needed by the public prosecutor, and the ombudsman, who had a difficult role in relation to issues of high levels of impunity. The correspondent's question was a complex one which was of concern to her colleagues on the ground. Their idea was to get across in Colombia a strong message of the importance of an awareness of human rights standards.

Responding to a follow-up question, she said the commitment of her Office and of the human rights officials in Bogota was a very real one, and that the presence of the human rights office was very important to vulnerable groups and the rest of society. Efforts would have to be made to reinforce and to support it. She said the Government was trying to address the question of impunity. She had raised the need for the Government to deal seriously with impunity regarding Colombian leaders, including the President. The question of impunity must be addressed in order to really promote the standards and values of human rights.

She told a correspondent that she was aware of the case of the leader of the Kurdish Workers Party whose extradition from Italy was being sought by the Turkish Government. The case was a matter that was engaging the attention of several governments, she added.

* *** *