International Covenant on Civil

and Political Rights

31^st Meeting (AM)

Meeting of States Parties to Covenant on Civil, Political Rights

elects nine members of Human Rights Committee

 

The twenty-fifth Meeting of States Parties to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights today elected nine members of the Human Rights Committee for a term of four years starting on 1 January 2007 to replace those whose terms were due to expire on 31 December.  The Committee reviews reports by States parties and monitors their implementation of the Covenant’s provisions.

Out of a list of 20 candidates, the Meeting elected:

-- Abdelfattah Amor ( Tunisia), a Professor Emeritus in International Law;

-- Prafullachandra N. Bhagwati ( India), Chancellor of the Hyderabad University and former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court;

-- Christine Chanet ( France), Judge of the Court of Cassation;

-- Yuji Iwasawa ( Japan), Professor of International Law at the University of Tokyo;

-- Walter Kälin ( Switzerland), Professor of Constitutional and International Public Law at the University of Bern;

-- Zonke Zanele Majodina ( South Africa), Deputy Chairperson and Commissioner at the South African Human Rights Commission;

-- Iulia Antoanella Motoc ( Romania), Professor of Public International Law, University of Bucharest;

-- José Luis Pérez Sanchez-Cerro ( Peru), Ambassador of Peru to Colombia; and

-- Ruth Wedgwood ( United States), Professor of International Law and Diplomacy, Johns Hopkins University.

In his opening statement, the Secretary-General’s Representative, Craig Mokhiber, informed participants that, since the last Meeting of States Parties in February 2005, Indonesia and Kazakhstan had become parties to the Covenant, bringing the total up to 156 States parties.  Honduras had become party to the First Optional Protocol, which provides the right of petition to individuals, bringing that total up to 105.  Canada, Liberia and Turkey had become parties to the Second Optional Protocol –- aimed at the abolition of the death penalty -- bringing that total to 57 States parties.

The Covenant deals with such rights as freedom of movement; equality before the law; the right to a fair trial and presumption of innocence; freedom of thought, conscience and religion; and peaceful assembly.  It prohibits torture, arbitrary arrest and detention and arbitrary interference with privacy.

States parties to the Covenant are required by article 40 to submit an initial report, and thereafter periodical reports, on the measures they had adopted to give effect to the Covenant’s provisions.  The Human Rights Committee considers those reports and issues observations.  It also considers communications under the Optional Protocol received from individuals who assert that their rights have been violated without domestic redress.

In other business, the Meeting elected by acclamation its bureau, which consists of:  Christian Wenaweser ( Liechtenstein), Chairperson, and Somduth Soborun ( Mauritius), Ivan Romero-Martinez ( Honduras), Kristine Malinovska ( Latvia) and Polly Ioannu ( Cyprus), Vice-Chairpersons.  It also adopted its agenda.

The nine Committee members whose terms expire on 31 December are:  Abdelfattah Amor, Tunisia; Nisuke Ando, Japan; Prafullachandra N. Bhagwati, India; Alfredo Castillero Hoyos, Panama; Christine Chanet, France; Walter Kälin, Switzerland; Hipólito Solari-Yrigoyen, Argentina; Ruth Wedgwood, United States; and Roman Wieruszewski, Poland.

The nine Committee members who will continue to serve until 31 December 2008 are:  Maurice Glèlè Ahanhanzo, Benin; Edwin Johnson Lopez, Ecuador; Ahmed Tawfik Khalil, Egypt; Rajsoomer Lallah, Mauritius; Michael O’Flaherty, Ireland; Elisabeth Palm, Sweden; Rafael Rivas Posada, Colombia; Nigel Rodley, United Kingdom; and Ivan Shearer; Australia.

Background

The twenty-fifth Meeting of States Parties to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights met today to elect nine members of the Human Rights Committee and replace those whose terms are due to expire on 31 December.

Opening Statement by Representative of Secretary-General

Opening the Meeting of States Parties, CRAIG MOKHIBER of the New York Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, representing the Secretary-General, said that, since the States parties’ last meeting on 10 February 2005, Indonesia and Kazakhstan had become parties to the Covenant, bringing the total up to 156 States parties.  Honduras had become party to the Optional Protocol, bringing that total up to 105, and Canada, Liberia and Turkey had become parties to the Second Optional Protocol –- aimed at the abolition of the death penalty -- bringing that total to 57 States Parties.

He said that the Human Rights Committee had paid consistent attention to the Secretary-General’s call for streamlining and reform of the treaty-reporting system through consultative processes.  In October, the Committee was scheduled to discuss the recommendations of its newly established working group on the reform of treaty bodies.  The Committee had also examined three to four States parties’ initial and periodic reports per session, adopting concluding observations on each.  Those examinations were essential tools for an informed dialogue between Committee members and State delegations.

The Committee’s caseload under the first Optional Protocol had been reduced, and some 276 complaints were currently pending.  Through the new rule 93 (3) of procedures, the Committee’s Working Group on communications had been authorized to declare communications inadmissible where all members so agreed.  The Committee was now progressively increasing the number of decisions on communications and was thus avoiding a new increase of the backlog.

Through its Special Rapporteur for follow-up on views, the Committee had continued to meet with representatives of States parties that had not responded to the Committee’s request for information about measures taken to give effect to its views, he said.  The Committee’s procedure for following up on concluding observations had continued to develop.  At its eighty-fifth session in October 2005, the Committee had decided to open the consideration of its follow-up activities on concluding observations to the public.  At the Committee’s March 2006 session, it had established a working group that had formulated recommendations for the reinforcement of follow-up activities on concluding observations and views under the Optional Protocol.

Election of Bureau

By acclamation, the Meeting elected Christian Wenaweser ( Liechtenstein), nominated by the representative of Kenya, as its Chairperson; and Somduth Soborun ( Mauritius), Ivan Romero-Martinez ( Honduras), Kristine Malinovska ( Latvia) and Polly Ioannu ( Cyprus) as its Vice-Chairpersons.

Election of Committee Members

The Committee was informed that the Governments of Argentina and Mozambique had decided to withdraw their candidates, while the Government of Mali had withdrawn one candidate, namely Mamadou Diakite.  Therefore, a total of 20 candidates had been nominated.  (The list of candidates and their biographical data are contained in documents CCPR/SP/67 and Addenda 1-3).

Persons elected must obtain the largest number of votes and a majority in secret balloting.

First Round of Balloting

Number of votes:	154
Number of invalid votes:	1
Number of valid votes:	153
Abstentions:	0
Number of members voting:	153
Majority required:	77

Number of votes obtained:
Abdelfattah Amor, Tunisia	88
Driss Belmahi, Morocco	45
Prafullachandra N. Bhagwati, India	106
Christine Chanet, France	103
Brownson Naguolor Dede, Nigeria	35
Fatoumata Diall, Mali	24
Abdellah Milud El-Mehadbi, Libya	51
Mohamed Lamine Fofana, Guinea	19
Yuji Iwasawa, Japan	127
Walter Kälin, Switzerland	89
Zonke Zanele Majodina, South Africa	61
Roberto Mejía Trabanino, El Salvador	52
Ahmed Mohamed Omer El Mufti, Sudan	27
Iulia Antoanella Motoc, Romania	99
Jorge Eduardo Pan Cruz, Uruguay	67
José Luis Pérez Sanchez-Cerro, Peru	76
Alejandro Enrique Salinas Rivera, Chile	64
Carlos Villán Durán, Spain	56
Ruth Wedgwood, United States	96
Roman Wieruszewski, Poland	49

Having obtained the largest number of votes and a majority, Yuji Iwasawa, Japan; Prafullachandra N. Bhagwati, India; Christine Chanet, France; Iulia Antoanella Motoc, Romania; Ruth Wedgwood, United States; Walter Kälin, Switzerland; and Abdelfattah Amor, Tunisia, were elected as members of the Human Rights Committee for a term starting on 1 January 2007 and ending on 31 December 2010.

Second Round of Balloting

Since the number of candidates obtaining a majority was less than the number of vacancies, a new round of balloting was required.  In order to fill the remaining two places, the voting was restricted to the candidates who had obtained the largest number of votes in the previous ballot and limited to twice the places remaining to be filled.

Number of votes:	152
Number of invalid votes:	0
Number of valid votes:	152
Abstentions:	0
Number of members voting:	152
Majority required:	77

Number of votes obtained:
Zonke Zanele Majodina, South Africa	77
Jorge Eduardo Pan Cruz, Uruguay	56
José Luis Pérez Sanchez-Cerro, Peru	80
Alejandro Enrique Salinas Rivera, Chile	56

Having obtained the majority required, José Luis Pérez Sanchez-Cerro, Peru, and Zonke Zanele Majodina, South Africa, were elected to the Human Rights Committee.

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For information media • not an official record