HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE CONCLUDES ONE HUNDREDTH AND EIGHTH SESSION

The Human Rights Committee today concluded its one hundredth and eighth session after adopting its concluding observations and recommendations on the reports of Ukraine, Tajikistan, Indonesia, Finland, Albania, and Czech Republic on their implementation of the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

During the session the Committee discussed its methods of work, adopted a paper on the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on new communications and interim measures, a paper on case management on dealing with concluding observations and guidelines on follow-up to concluding observations, and adopted all the recommendations set out in the report of the Committee’s retreat in The Hague, including the Guidelines on the Independence and Impartiality of members of the human rights treaty bodies.

The Committee continued its discussion on a draft General Comment on Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, on the right of everyone to liberty and security of person. The draft General Comment, prepared by Committee Expert Gerald Neuman, includes 71 articles out of which 31 paragraphs have been adopted subject to amendments.

In closed meetings, the Committee also heard from United Nations organizations, specialized agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and national human rights institutions concerning the situation in the countries under review; and dealt with 17 communications, adopting two inadmissibility decisions, 14 decisions on merits and declaring one case discontinued.

The Committee also adopted lists of issues on six State parties that will be examined during its next session, Chile, Malawi, Chad, Kyrgyzstan, Sierra Leone and Nepal; as well as a report on follow-up to views, presented by the Special Rapporteur.

Nigel Rodley, Chairperson of the Committee, in closing remarks, said that for the first time the Committee had adopted six concluding observations on the reports of Albania, Czech Republic, Finland, Indonesia, Tajikistan and Ukraine, and which had been made public at a press conference on Thursday, 25 July. It had been a challenge to ensure that all draft concluding observations were translated in time for adoption. The Committee had also held a successful meeting with States parties, attended by representatives from 61 States and around 20 NGOs. Efforts had been made to improve the media’s awareness of the work of the Committee, a substantial number of articles had been published on all six States parties under review, and two interviews with treaty bodies had been requested. In October, Mr. Rodley would address the United Nations General Assembly and refer to the request for additional resources and meeting time contained in the annual report. The Chairperson also hoped that the treaty body strengthening process in New York would be concluded within the next few months.

The unedited versions of the concluding observations on the reports of the countries reviewed during this session are available on the Committee’s website.

The countries examined are among the 167 States parties to the Covenant, adopted in 1966 by the General Assembly. The Committee, as a monitoring body, periodically examines reports submitted by States parties on the promotion and protection of civil and political rights. Representatives of these Governments introduce the reports and respond to oral and written questions from the Committee.

Under the Optional Protocol to the Covenant, 114 States parties recognize the competence of the Committee to consider confidential communications from individuals claiming to be victims of violations of any rights proclaimed under the treaty. At present, 380 communications are pending before the Committee. Seventy-five States parties have ratified or acceded to the Second Optional Protocol to the Covenant, which also aims to abolish the death penalty.

The one hundredth and ninth session of the Human Rights Committee will be held from 14 October to 1 November, in Geneva, when it is scheduled to review the reports of Bolivia, Djibouti, Mauritania, Mozambique, United States and Uruguay.


For use of information media; not an official record

CT03/028E