HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE DELIBERATES REVISED GENERAL COMMENT ON PRINCIPLE OF EQUALITY BEFORE JUSTICE
Meeting Summaries
The Human Rights Committee this morning discussed a revised General Comment on article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights on the principle of equality before justice.
The revised General Comment has already been discussed by the Committee at a previous session, and focused on a document proposed by Committee Member Walter Kälin.
The revised General Comment (CCPR/C/83/CRP.4), when adopted, will replace General Comment number 13, reflecting on and further developing it. It notes that the right to a fair trial and equality before courts is one of the key elements of human rights protection, and serves to safeguard the rule of law procedurally. Article 14 of the Covenant aims at ensuring the proper administration of justice, and to this end guarantees a series of specific rights such as equality before the courts and tribunals, and the right to a fair and public hearing by a competent, independent and impartial tribunal established by law.
The Committee debated the General Comment on a paragraph-by-paragraph basis, but did not conclude its deliberations. The next public session of the Committee will be on Wednesday, 27 July at 11 a.m., when the Committee will continue the discussion on the revised General Comment.
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