Human rights

As it concluded discussion on Guatemala’s third periodic report today, the Human Rights Committee commended the country for putting in place legislative measures to improve its compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, but added it had not done enough to protect human rights defenders, address the consequences from its 36-year internal armed conflict and protect indigenous rights.

Fifteen years had passed since peace accords had been signed in Guatemala to bring to an end a 36-year-long internal armed conflict that left behind serious socio-economic consequences and human rights violations, Gert Rosenthal, Permanent Representative of Guatemala to the United Nations, told the Human Rights Committee today, as he presented the country’s third periodic report.

Wrapping up its second day of discussion on the initial report of Turkmenistan, the Human Rights Committee acknowledged that, while the Central Asian country had shown a new willingness to improve its “troubling” human rightsrecord, there was still a broad gap between the legislative framework and its practical implementation, including in the prohibition of torture, degrading treatment, freedom of assembly, and freedom of association.

Following national elections in February, Turkmenistan was poised to move forward with a package of newly implemented laws and legal codes to protect human rights in a broad range of areas, the Human Rights Committee was told as it began its review of that country’s compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which it acceded in 1997.

Yemen was ready to start a transparent, positive dialogue about improving its human rights record, after mass uprisings against unemployment, corruption and deteriorating economic prospects had pushed President Ali Abdullah Saleh to resign after 33 years of power, the Human Rights Committee was told today, as it considered the country’s fifth periodic report.

Taking note of the new Constitution of the Dominican Republic and impressed by “the level of humility the delegation had shown in acknowledging the problems” as it worked towards stronger human rights protections, the Human Rights Committee today expressed concern about abuses in law enforcement and racial discrimination towards migrants in that country.

There was a real will to strengthen democratic institutions in the Dominican Republic so that they fully guaranteed the rule of law and genuinely defended fundamental human rights and freedoms, Héctor Virgilio Alcántara Mejía, Permanent Representative of the Dominican Republic to the United Nations, told the Human Rights Committee today, as it opened its 104th session.

The Meeting of States Parties to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights today elected Walter Kälin (Switzerland) and Marat Sarsembayev (Kazakhstan) to the Human Rights Committee, replacing members who had resigned before completing their four-year terms of office.

States Parties to the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families today elected by secret ballot seven members to the Committee that monitors the treaty’s implementation, to replace those whose four-year terms will expire on 31 December.

Approximately 700 high school students from the United States, Canada, France, Mexico and Romania will participate in the fourteenth annual United Nations Student Conference on Human Rights from 30 November to 2 December under the theme Discrimination and Human Rights Defenders.