8 April 1999


Press Release
HR/CT/539


HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE RESPONSIBLE FOR ESTABLISHING LANDMARKS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN SEVERAL COUNTRIES, COMMITTEE MEMBERS TOLD

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The Human Rights Committee had been responsible for establishing landmarks for human rights in several countries, especially in the area of jurisprudence, Bacre Waly Ndiaye, Director, United Nations High Commission for Human Rights and the New York Office for the Commission of Human Rights, told the Committee, as it met this afternoon to discuss a number of procedural matters relating to its work during the current session.

He added that the Committee's decisions and work were reference points for both national and international non-governmental organizations. The progress made by the Committee in civil and political rights globally would also serve as a model for social and economic rights, he stated.

Also this afternoon, the Chairman of the Committee, Cecilia Medina Quiroga, informed members that she had received a communication regarding Guyana's denunciation of the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

The communication -- submitted through the Secretary-General to the Committee, in accordance with the provisions of article 12 of the Optional Protocol, noted that the Guyana Government, notwithstanding that denunciation, recognized the competence of the Committee to receive and consider communications relevant to article 7 of the Covenant: that no one should be subjected to torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Guyana was, therefore, reacceding to the Optional Protocol with a reservation to article 6 so that the Committee would not be competent to receive and consider communications from any person there who was facing the death sentence for the offences of murder and treason. The country had first acceded to the Optional Protocol on 27 August 1993.

The Committee also discussed the report of the tenth meeting of persons chairing the human rights treaty bodies, as well as the work of the working group that prepared issues relating to the presentation of country reports during the session.

* The 1751st meeting was closed.

Human Rights Committee - 2 - Press Release HR/CT/539 1752nd Meeting (PM) 8 April 1999

In other business, the Committee adopted the following dates for the submission of country reports: Lesotho and Chile -- April 2002; and Canada and Costa Rica -- April 2004.

The Committee is scheduled to meet tomorrow to take up its general conclusions, a draft resolution for the General Assembly, a report on follow- up to communications, and to conclude its sixty-fifth session.

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