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COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS HEARS FROM NGOS AS IT CONTINUES CONSIDERATION OF CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS
06 April 2001
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Commission on Human Rights
57th session
6 April 2001
Morning
Prime Minister of Equatorial Guinea Addresses Commission
The Commission on Human Rights this morning heard an address from the Prime Minister of Equatorial Guinea on the promotion and protection of human rights in his country and statements by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) alleging violations of civil and political rights in a number of countries and regions.
Prime Minister Candido Muatetema of Equatorial Guinea said that his country, since its independence in 1979, had been building a democracy that respected human rights. It had ratified almost all regional and international human rights instruments. He noted that respect of democracy and human rights required favourable national and international circumstances, especially continued peace and coordinated efforts to wipe out poverty.
Mr. Muatetema urged the Commission to provide technical assistance to help Equatorial Guinea implement provisions of the international human rights instruments. Without it, he said, the Government was undertaking the massive efforts of improving human rights by itself.
NGOs, meanwhile, addressed a wide-range of issues related to civil and political rights, including freedom of expression and opinion, torture, freedom of religion, independence of the judiciary, free association, disappeared persons and political prisoners. They alleged violations in occupied Palestine, Guatemala, Bhutan, Malaysia, Indonesia, the United States, Tunisia, Argentina, Senegal, Burma, the Chechen Republic of the Russian Federation, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, China (concerning Tibet), Peru, India, and Sudan.
NGOs participating in the session were the Tunisian Organization of Doctors without Frontiers; the Commission of the Churches on International Affairs of the World Council of Churches; Rural Reconstruction Nepal; the Society for Threatened Peoples; the Organization for the Solidarity of the Peoples of Asia, Africa and Latin America; Internet des Droits Humains; the Indian Council of South America; the International Movement for Fraternal Union among Races and Peoples; Nord-Sud XXI; International Federation of Human Rights Leagues; Aliran; International Peace Bureau; Al-Khoei Foundation; Catholic Institute for International Relations; the World Federation of Trade Unions; Worldview International Foundation; Anti-Slavery International; World Peace Council; Liberation; World Federation of Democratic Youth; the Himalayan Research and Cultural Foundation; and International Institute for Peace.
Exercising rights of reply were Colombia, the Lao People's Democratic Republic and Malaysia.
When the Commission returns at 3 p.m., it will begin voting on draft resolutions on its agenda item on the right to peoples to self-determination and its application to peoples under colonial or alien domination or foreign occupation. It will also conclude its discussion on civil and political rights.
Statements
CANDIDO MUATETEMA RIVAS, Prime Minister of Equatorial Guinea, said he was honoured to take part in this important meeting. This was the first time the head of Equatorial Guinea was addressing the Commission. The Government of Equatorial Guinea reaffirmed its commitment to its people and to the United Nations to recognize and promote the human rights of all the people of Equatorial Guinea. All human rights were universal, indivisible, and inter-related. Account should be taken of national and regional particularities, as well as different cultural and religious heritages. But States had a duty to promote all human rights and fundamental freedoms.
The transition to democracy went back to 1979 when the colonial political regime was changed. That regime had never cooperated with the Commission. Since 1979, the Government had ratified almost all regional and international human rights instruments. In 1979, the public authorities took on the commitment to build the rule of law by prioritizing State institutions. During the first phase, efforts were focused on ensuring the administration recognized and fulfilled the law. This political culture helped build a pluralistic society. In 1991, as a result of a referendum, Constitutional reform was approved. In 1992, three political groups were recognized -- they were the only three applications submitted. Now there were 13 political groups. Legislative and local elections had been held. Presidential elections were held in 1996.
Respect of democracy of human rights required favourable national and international circumstances, especially continued peace and coordinated efforts to wipe out poverty. Authorities were prohibited from infringing on people's human rights. This atmosphere was characterized by the rights for detainees, the right to a fair trial, and the right to representation. Society was making constant efforts to make sure this process would not be reversed. The Government had taken and continued to take all measures available to ensure human rights were addressed in schools and institutions. The teaching of human rights was not a single act, but a continuous process. Democracy had no maximum limit, and human rights had no ceiling. Every country aspired to such objectives. Personal rights -- freedom of movement, protection of personal data, freedom of expression, religious freedom, for example -- were enjoyed by all residing in Equatorial Guinea, and their standing was improving every day as their intellectual maturity continued to grow.
Economic rights, such as the right to private property and freedom of enterprise, and cultural rights like the right to education, were all objectives served by the financial resources of oil. All sectors of society participated in the National Economic Conference of 1997. That conference determined the objectives that had to be served by the country's financial resources. Last year, the country held a major conference on rural development and food security. That helped the country move from a subsistence agriculture to a market agriculture. There was a National Document on Women which took a view to empower women. To empower women in agricultural areas, it launched an economic programme for women to help generate income-producing activities for them. Ninety per cent of agriculture cooperatives were in the hands of women.
It had been 20 years since the country was considered by the Commission. A number of resolutions had been adopted, but the need for technical assistance, which was mentioned in the resolutions, was being entirely ignored. Without the assistance, it was the Government that was making massive efforts to improve the human rights situation in the country. There were no consistent serious violations in the country. The Government had inherited a totally devastated country. This was the understanding it hoped to see from the Commission. Equatorial Guinea requested advice and aid in helping to promote human rights. The order of peace and security which prevailed in the country stemmed from a policy of respect for human rights.
ELYES BEN MARZOUK, of the Tunisian Organization of Doctors Without Borders, said freedom of the press and of education and the distribution of books were imperative in respecting civil and political rights. Inevitably there had to be a review of the press code. True pluralism must be based on freedom of opinion. By its firm commitment, each country could undermine the manoeuvres of anti-social forces in the community. The media should maintain its principle functions, and report whenever human rights were violated. Differing opinions were important and should be expressed. The organization deplored the alarming situation in the occupied territories created by the Government of Israel. The aggressions against Palestinian civilians should be recognized.
ALVARO RAMAZZINI , of the Commission of the Churches on International Affairs of the World Council of Churches, said that in Guatemala, the year 2000 had been marked by the lack of independence and trust and attacks against judges. Human rights had deteriorated with more violations against human rights defenders. Freedom of expression had been under attack: threats and physical attacks against journalists had been registered. The human rights situation needed special attention. Guatemala had been confronted with a new wave of violence which was directed against judges in order to obstruct justice and generate impunity. The security of the administration of justice had been threatened more than ever.
KEAT WONG, of Rural Reconstruction Nepal, said that in the Kingdom of Bhutan fundamental freedoms such as the right to speech, expression and opinion, the right to assembly, union and association, the right to free press and the right to free and fair trial remained suspended. There was no written constitution or bill of rights. Hundreds of political prisoners, many of them Buddhist monks, continued to languish in Bhutanese prisoners. The right to assemble peacefully was a right fraught with insurmountable obstacles in Malaysia. The Malaysian Government often reported the existence of limited alternative media in the country as an indication of media freedom. However, the handful of alternative press faced different kinds of political harassment from time to time, including problems with circulation, printing and distribution.
ULRICH DELIUS, of the Society for Threatened Peoples, was exceptionally concerned about the increase in arbitrary detentions, torture and State oppression in the Indonesian province of Irian Jaya (Papua). In unfair trials held last month, five Papuan "separatists" were found guilty and sentenced to prison terms of up to four-and-a-half years. They should be released immediately. On the same day, another 17 Papuan demonstrators were sentenced to prison terms of up to three-and-a-half years. While in detention, they were subjected to frequent beatings in their cells by members of the police force. The Commission should send a Special Rapporteur to Irian Jaya to investigate accusations of torture and extrajudicial executions.
CIPRIANO CASTRO SAEZ, of the Organization of Solidarity of the Peoples of Africa, Asia and Latin America, said that it had become a habitual rhythm that in the United States, there were daily cases of racism, xenophobia and police brutality. It was paradoxical that the United States was accusing other States of human rights violations while it did not admit the violations under its territories. The prison conditions in the United States were one of the most horrible and inhuman. There were prisoners who had been languishing since the 1960s, including political prisoners. Among other prisoners were those who had been leaders of the social movement of the 1960s and 1970s and who were charged by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). For the past 10 years, an international campaign had been carried out for the liberation of Leonard Peltier, Mumia Abu Jamal and other 15 political and Puerto Rican prisoners of war.
TERESA FINIK, of Internet des Droits Humains, said that savage repression and aggression were committed with impunity against human rights defenders in Tunisia. These violations were part of a strategy used by the Tunisian authorities to muzzle and stifle independent organizations, the press and human rights defenders. On 8 March 1999, Tunisia adopted the Declaration on the Right and Responsibilities of Individuals, Groups and Civil Society to Promote and Protect Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. Despite the signing of the Declaration and statements made by senior Government officials on respect for human rights in Tunisia, despite the setting up of a plethora of administrative offices charged with human rights, reports continued to come from Tunisia and non-governmental organizations in Europe and America on the repression, aggression and reprisals committed by the security authorities against human rights defenders and a legal system that openly flouted the provisions contained in the Declaration and international instruments ratified by the country.
BOBBY CASTILLO, of the Indian Council of South America, said a lifelong advocate of indigenous peoples' rights had been incarcerated in the United States for more than 25 years on a crime he did not commit. He was being held for vindictive and political reasons. The United States should be held responsible for his illegal extradition from Canada in 1976. Civil court judges recognized and condemned the illegal extradition, but the United States had done nothing. The judge who sentenced him had consistently refused to hear new evidence that could prove his innocence. For the last 15 years, the Government had conceded it could not prove who was guilty of the crime for which he was sentenced. The United States' system of checks and balances had failed him. This should be investigated by the Special Rapporteur on the independence of lawyers and judges.
ESTELA BARNES DE CARLOTTO, of the International Movement for Fraternal Union among Races and Peoples, said she was the president of the Association of the Plaza de Mayo of Argentina, an association of mothers whose children had disappeared. The association had been struggling to find out the fate of their loved ones. Twenty-five years had passed since a military coup d'etat had taken place in her country, Argentina, which installed State terrorism in the country between 1976 and 1983. Today, public declarations by the new armed forces marked a new tendency to regress on the process of self-criticism concerning the dossier of missing persons. This was worrying. The executive power should try to find replies to answer the people who were requesting truth and justice concerning thousands of disappearances. The executive should also be forced to reveal the whereabouts of their grandchildren as they did not want to die before kissing them. The adoption of an international convention against enforced or involuntary disappearances of persons was important.
LYNA AL TABAL, of North South XXI, said Israel persisted in its refusal to apply the Convention against torture. The fact that torture was committed in Israel was established by the so-called Landau Report of 1987. The Israeli Supreme Court had also proven that this practice existed. However, it had not prohibited the practice, thereby opening the door for impunity. Arab detainees were routinely subjected to torture by the Shin Bet intelligence service. Torture was used as a form of collective punishment against Arab detainees. Israel also used doctors during torture. These doctors did not respect the Hippocratic oath that did not allow doctors to participate in torture. The fact that they were present during torture and spoke about the way it was applied meant that they were accomplices. Tens of thousands of Arab detainees were subjected to torture and this was confirmed by the Supreme Court. The international community was urged to urgently establish an international court to try all perpetrators of torture and to force Israel to pay compensation to victims. Speaking about Bahrain, the Representative said that dramatic changes had recently occurred in that country, including the release of all political prisoners and detainees, the return of political exiles and granting them their civil rights and granting women equal political rights with men.
VO VAN AI, of the International Federation of Human Rights Leagues, expressed satisfaction about the recent evolution in favour of the respect for civil and political rights and the establishment of the rule of law in Mexico, Peru and Bahrain. The League called upon the Governments of those countries to continue the implementation of their international obligations in human rights. In the area of the fight against impunity, the League welcomed the efforts made by the international community in the creation of a permanent international tribunal. It also welcomed the daily progress around the world in the fight against impunity, such as the recent detention of the former Yugoslav President Milosovic. The League, however, deplored the surprising decision of the court of cassation of Senegal in refusing the competence of a Senegalese judge not to prosecute the former Chadian dictator Hissene Habre, on the pretext that the Convention against Torture was not incorporated in the domestic legislation of Senegal. In Cameroon, a number of allegations on extra-judicial executions were not yet elucidated.
DEBORAH CHRISTINE STOTHARD, of Aliran, said she came from southeast Asia where there was an apparent obsession for breaking records. For example, Malaysia delighted in boasting of the highest tower, tallest flagpole, longest serving Prime Minister, most farcical trial, etc. Unfortunately in Burma, the military regime had so impoverished the country they could not afford to build gigantic structures. Instead, they aspired to the record of having the oldest political prisoner, namely Dr U Saw Mra Aung. The Burmese regime was also eligible for the record of detaining political prisoners after they had completed their sentences. The Representative said that, owing to constraints of time, she would refrain from speaking of the hundreds of political prisoners, harsh prison conditions, the detentions without trial, the sorry state of the judicial system, religious intolerance and the raging impunity being perpetrated in Burma. The Government was reminded that pursuing the record of the largest number of political prisoners, largest number of internally displaced people, largest number of youths excluded from education, and so on, was actually not something to be proud of. The country of Burma would celebrate the Buddhist New Year in two week's time. It was a tradition that people release birds and fish in order to gain merit. The Burmese regime should realize that releasing people, instead of birds and fish should gain them infinitely more merit.
MADINA MAGOMADOVA, of the International Peace Bureau, said that the Russian Government continued the war in the Chechen Republic under the slogan of an "anti-terrorist operation". The first to suffer from the military actions were the peaceful citizens, especially children. What was happening there must be qualified as a war crime and a crime against humanity. From 1994 to 1996, and from 1999 until now, a total of around 175,000 peaceful citizens had been killed, the majority children, women and old people. In February 2000, in just one Chechen village, 420 peaceful citizens were killed after rocket attacks by Russian troops. It was the first time during the last half century in Europe when a whole city was almost totally destroyed.
It was unfortunate that many politicians of different States did not want to see the real picture of what was going on in Chechnya, and were satisfied by declarations and symbolic steps from the Russian side. The methods of conducting war that the Russian Federation had chosen in the Northern Caucasus had turned the present Chechen campaign into a serious crime wave, accompanied by masses of victims. The internationally-recognized Government of the Russian Federation had signed a series of international documents and had accepted the responsibility to observe human rights. That was why the violations in Chechnya by the Russian federal forces were especially cynical and hard to bear. The Bureau urged the Commission to immediately create an independent international commission to investigate the crimes committed by the Russian army in Chechnya.
ZAHEER A. KAZMI, of the Al-Khoei Foundation, said that the international sanctions imposed against Iraq had been hugely detrimental to the humanitarian welfare of the Iraqi people and had in many ways strengthened the Iraqi regime. At present, where there was rightfully much support for a change to the sanctions regime, it was all the more important to sustain a critical position towards a Government with a history of abuse of the human rights of large sectors of its own population, most notably the Kurds and the Shi'a. In the case of Bahrain, the Foundation welcomed the decrees aimed at activating the national charter and drafting amendments to the 1973 Constitution. The release of political prisoners, return of exiles and abolition of the State security law and State security court were welcomed. It was hoped that the current reform process would put an end to the long-standing discrimination of the Islamist opposition by the Government.
The destruction of the statues of the Buddha in Bamiyan by the Taliban in Afghanistan was appalling. Concern was expressed at the situation in occupied Palestine, where Muslim Holy sites and Muslim worshippers were ill-treated at the hands of Israelis.
THIN THIN AUNG, of the Catholic Institute of International Relations, said that the Burmese people were living under the most repressive regime in the world. Over 1,500 people still remained imprisoned for political reasons. At least 34 Members of Parliament who were elected in the 1990 general elections still remained in prison and 36 Members of Parliament had been detained without trial in so-called government guesthouses since 1996. Human rights violations in Burma had been well documented by international human rights organizations such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the ILO and Burmese human rights organizations. Torture had become an institution in the country. The security forces continued to use torture to extract information, and punish, humiliate and control the people. Moreover, political prisoners were denied adequate food, medical care and sanitation and they got seriously ill because of harsh prison conditions. The Commission was urged to take urgent action for the release of all political prisoners, an end to illegal detention, and a halt of all the human rights violations in Burma.
AHMAR MUSTI KHAN, of the World Federation of Trade Unions, said it was regrettable that the terrible plight of the people of Balochistan, the illegally annexed southwestern province of Pakistan, had not received attention from the various mechanisms of the Commission. As if the butchery and savagery of the past bloody military operations were not enough, many of the political activists in Balochistan had been arrested and tortured. Two had been detained without trial for many months and tortured -- Nazi style -- in torture camps.
In this holocaust, State terrorism was in full swing in Balochistan, with the much-dreaded security forces killing innocent people for raising their voices against the injustice caused to them, personally and collectively. The Pakistani Coast Guards, civil armed forces and federally-controlled militias had made life for the common people miserable by committing excesses against them on a daily basis. The Commission was requested to give directions to concerned Working Groups to investigate the political and economic deprivation of the people of Balochistan and to convince the Government of Pakistan to take immediate corrective steps to wipe away the tears from the faces of the people and to grant them life, at least.
NAMGYAL BHUTIA, of the Worldview International Foundation, said that the reports of the Special Rapporteurs and Working Groups attested that the violations of civil and political rights had continued in many regions of the world. The many international and national mechanisms, including the mechanisms of the Commission which were established to protect civil and political rights, did not really seem to have served the purpose. Of particular concern was that those reports painted a very dismal situation for victims of human rights abuse in many State Members of the Commission. The situation of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the eleventh Panchen Lama of Tibet, had been raised in the Commission for the past six years, even through the thematic mechanisms. The eleven-year-old Tibetan boy was now recognized as the world's youngest prisoner. His well-being and whereabouts remained a major concern for Tibetans and followers of Tibetan Buddhism in the world. The Chinese authorities continued to defy the international community in failing to publicly declare the whereabouts of the Panchen Lama.
CHRISTIANE DEHOY, of Anti Slavery, said that the Lao Human Rights Group had reported that while a number of Church leaders and believers imprisoned in 1999 had been released in the course of the year 2000, new arrests had subsequently taken place and currently at least 25 church-goers were jailed in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. Since 1999, the Lao authorities had forcibly closed down at least 50 churches. In December 2000, only eight churches in Savannakhet province received permission to perform Christmas celebrations. Similarly, in Viet Nam, only State-sponsored religious organizations were authorized. Independent religious activities were prohibited and their followers were routinely harassed and imprisoned. In Myanmar, the Government continued to monitor the activities of members of all religions. In Afghanistan, the Taliban militia which controlled most of the country has recently created international outrage by its highly publicized destruction of the 2,000-year-old Buddha statues in Bamiyan, as well as the annihilation of collections of non-Muslim religious artifacts in the Kabul museum. The Taliban had also perpetrated widespread violations of human rights through aggressive imposition of their interpretation of the Sharia law.
HAESOOK KIM, of the World Peace Council, said that in September 1999, the Associated Press had written a Pulitzer Prize-winning article based on a thorough investigation of a massacre that took place in the Republic of Korea’s village of No Gun-ri in 1950. Hundreds of villagers were pinned beneath a bridge for three days as United States military forces hovered above in aircrafts, mowed them down with machine gun fire, and shot mortars at them. It was estimated that some 400 civilians, most women, children and elderly, were massacred. These tragic events occurred 50 years ago, during the Korean War. Subsequently, conditions of extreme repression had prevailed for decades in the Republic of Korea where Governments had been operating virtually under a state of occupation, with the presence of 37,000 United States troops and over 90 US military bases.
Recently, the people of the Republic of Korea had won a modicum of democracy. This situation, coupled with extremely hopeful moves toward peace and detente between their country and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, had meant that these victims, their families and other witnesses of these heinous crimes now felt somewhat less fearful to tell their stories. The Korea Truth Commission on US military massacres of civilians was established, and 60 sites of massacres had been identified in the southern part of Korea, and more than 100 in the northern part. To guarantee that such heinous violations of human rights never take place again, the Commission was implored to investigate and call for an apology and compensation to the victims of the US massacres of Korean civilians, even though they took place 50 years ago.
SADIA MIR, of Liberation, noted with concern the widespread and systematic use of torture in Peru against persons dared to protest against current political conditions. Despite the welcomed promulgation of the new law aimed at punishing the crime of torture, many perpetrators of torture were not held accountable of their acts. Liberation was also disturbed by the continuing cases of torture in Punjab, India, and the refusal by the Government to compensate or redress previous incidents of torture by the police in that region. Security forces acting with impunity could also be seen in Sudan. The harassment of political activists also continued in Malaysia. Liberation had received reports from the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh that the Peace Agreement of 1997 still remained to be implemented. The result of that was the continued abuse of human rights, and the increase in cases of torture and illegal detention of innocent men, women and children
MOHAMMAD ANWAR, of the World Federation of Democratic Youth, said that the Pakistani army had unleased unprecedented restrictions and selective stifling of the activities of pro-democracy political parties. The Government's human rights record remained poor and numerous serious abuses had been recorded. The army, state, intelligence agencies, para-military rangers, Frontier Constabulary, police and state patronised and harboured terrorist groups and committed numerous extra judicial killings, arbitrary arrests, torture in custody and custodial deaths. No officer or personnel of the law enforcement agency had ever been arrested or convicted of these heinous crimes. Those officers temporarily transferred or suspended for misuse of state powers were reinstated after a token period. Every government in Pakistan had believed in personal vendettas instead of reforming the country and every ruler had used unbridled power and corruption to protract his or her rule.
SULTAN SHAHIN, of the Himalayan Research and Cultural Foundation, said the discussion of religious intolerance came at perhaps its worst and most repulsive manifestation in recent times. The 2,000-year-old statues of the Lord Buddha, colossal images carved into the Hindukush mountains in Afghanistan, and hundreds of other precious artifacts that symbolized the country's glorious heritage, were lost to the world forever. These had survived the depredations of the vandals of the past. But in this day and age, when it was thought that the world was more civilized, this precious human heritage had been destroyed by the Taliban while the world watched helplessly in horror. What made this deed even more pernicious was that it was done in the name of religion and by people who claimed to be religious. Indeed, they claimed they were performing their religious duty. That brought into disrepute not only Islam, the religion they claimed to espouse, but the concept of religion itself, and hence it constituted an affront to all religious people of the world.
The Taliban were the product of thousands of religious seminaries run in various parts of Pakistan. American scholar Jessica Stern quoted Pakistani officials to have estimated that 10 to 15 per cent of these seminaries taught jihadism -- in which the Islamic concept of jihad was equated with guerrilla warfare. It was gratifying that the Special Rapporteur in his report acknowledged the danger represented by the extremism of groups claiming allegiance to Islam. It was important to distinguish between such extremists using Islam for political purposes, who were in fact in a minority, and the majority of Muslims who practised Islam in accordance with the principles of tolerance and non-discrimination. Several speakers in the Commission had complained of an attempt to encourage Islamophobia in the world. But if Muslims were not able to stop religious extremists from spreading pernicious philosophes like jihadism, and allow people like Osama bin Laden to continue with impunity to motivate Muslims, how could others be asked not to fear Islam as an instrument of terror and consider it an instrument of peace, as it indeed should be. It was primarily the duty of Muslims to see that Islam continued to play the role of a blessing for humankind that it was meant to be.
A. HASAN, of the International Institute for Peace, said that there was a rise in extra-judicial killings, torture, violence and denial of justice in Bangladesh. Violence against women and children was also increasing. In 2000, 800 women had reported to be killed due to torture. There were 186 cases of acid burns and 70 cases of death in safe custody. In addition, the use of explosives against political and business opponents was quite common in the country. Each year, the number of bomb victims was increasing. But why were violence and human rights violations continuing? It was because of the presence of the wrong people in politics and the wrong philosophy and wrong culture of the society. It was the social and political acceptance of violations of human rights which had given power to the abusers in the society. Not only were women unsafe in Bangladesh, but common people who were away from power and politics were vulnerable to threats of violence and bodily harm.
Rights of Reply
A Representative of Colombia, speaking in right of reply, said that his delegation rejected the assertions made by a number of non-governmental organizations, particularly when they ignored the enormous sacrifice made by civil servants, including soldiers and judges who lost their lives in defence of the democratic institutions of Colombia. The Colombian delegation rejected
attempts to question the constitutional effort to promote human rights and combat armed groups. The delegation also rejected the claims made by the European Union, especially since Colombia cooperated with United Nations mechanisms for the promotion and protection of human rights.
A Representative of Lao People’s Democratic Republic, exercising a right of reply, said the Government rejected the allegation made by a non-governmental organization. The Lao People’s Democratic Republic fully respected the right to religious freedom -- it was enshrined in the Constitution. The allegations were based on unfounded information. A number of protestors had been arrested and detained because of illegal activities. Generally, the situation of women's rights was better than it had been during the war, although the consequences of the war were still being felt.
A Representative of Malaysia, speaking in a right of reply, said that freedom of the press was not restricted in his country and that opposition newspapers were freely distributed without any obstacles. In addition, foreign newspapers were freely circulating without any censorship. Journalists had the right to interview any Government authority in order to obtain any information. Written newspapers were not owned by the Government. With regard to the freedom of assembly, the Government had been issuing permissions for any demands for demonstrations which would be held in accordance with the rule of law.
CORRIGENDUM
In press release HR/CN/01/33 of 4 April, the statement of the delegation of Nepal on page 8 should read as follows:
NABIN BAHADUR SHRESTHA (Nepal) said being a least-developed country, Nepal was today facing an enormous challenge in maintaining its best efforts for strengthening the democratic system and promoting economic development of the country at the same time by protecting the rights and interests of its citizens. As acknowledged in the report of the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, the problem of the Nepal Communist Party (Maoists) was posing a threat to the very survival of democracy in the country. The Party had created an obstruction to the full enjoyment of the rights guaranteed by the Constitution. So far, 1,593 people, including many civilians, political activists and other members of civil society had been killed by the Party.
The Government of Nepal had given a high priority to the resolving the problems created by the Party. It continued to make efforts to find a political solution by means of negotiation and had called upon the Party to come to the negotiating table within the constitutional process by renouncing terrorist activities. While noting the concern expressed by the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Nepal, it was the position of the Government that every effort would be made to improve the protection and promotion of human rights in the country.
* ** *
57th session
6 April 2001
Morning
Prime Minister of Equatorial Guinea Addresses Commission
The Commission on Human Rights this morning heard an address from the Prime Minister of Equatorial Guinea on the promotion and protection of human rights in his country and statements by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) alleging violations of civil and political rights in a number of countries and regions.
Prime Minister Candido Muatetema of Equatorial Guinea said that his country, since its independence in 1979, had been building a democracy that respected human rights. It had ratified almost all regional and international human rights instruments. He noted that respect of democracy and human rights required favourable national and international circumstances, especially continued peace and coordinated efforts to wipe out poverty.
Mr. Muatetema urged the Commission to provide technical assistance to help Equatorial Guinea implement provisions of the international human rights instruments. Without it, he said, the Government was undertaking the massive efforts of improving human rights by itself.
NGOs, meanwhile, addressed a wide-range of issues related to civil and political rights, including freedom of expression and opinion, torture, freedom of religion, independence of the judiciary, free association, disappeared persons and political prisoners. They alleged violations in occupied Palestine, Guatemala, Bhutan, Malaysia, Indonesia, the United States, Tunisia, Argentina, Senegal, Burma, the Chechen Republic of the Russian Federation, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, China (concerning Tibet), Peru, India, and Sudan.
NGOs participating in the session were the Tunisian Organization of Doctors without Frontiers; the Commission of the Churches on International Affairs of the World Council of Churches; Rural Reconstruction Nepal; the Society for Threatened Peoples; the Organization for the Solidarity of the Peoples of Asia, Africa and Latin America; Internet des Droits Humains; the Indian Council of South America; the International Movement for Fraternal Union among Races and Peoples; Nord-Sud XXI; International Federation of Human Rights Leagues; Aliran; International Peace Bureau; Al-Khoei Foundation; Catholic Institute for International Relations; the World Federation of Trade Unions; Worldview International Foundation; Anti-Slavery International; World Peace Council; Liberation; World Federation of Democratic Youth; the Himalayan Research and Cultural Foundation; and International Institute for Peace.
Exercising rights of reply were Colombia, the Lao People's Democratic Republic and Malaysia.
When the Commission returns at 3 p.m., it will begin voting on draft resolutions on its agenda item on the right to peoples to self-determination and its application to peoples under colonial or alien domination or foreign occupation. It will also conclude its discussion on civil and political rights.
Statements
CANDIDO MUATETEMA RIVAS, Prime Minister of Equatorial Guinea, said he was honoured to take part in this important meeting. This was the first time the head of Equatorial Guinea was addressing the Commission. The Government of Equatorial Guinea reaffirmed its commitment to its people and to the United Nations to recognize and promote the human rights of all the people of Equatorial Guinea. All human rights were universal, indivisible, and inter-related. Account should be taken of national and regional particularities, as well as different cultural and religious heritages. But States had a duty to promote all human rights and fundamental freedoms.
The transition to democracy went back to 1979 when the colonial political regime was changed. That regime had never cooperated with the Commission. Since 1979, the Government had ratified almost all regional and international human rights instruments. In 1979, the public authorities took on the commitment to build the rule of law by prioritizing State institutions. During the first phase, efforts were focused on ensuring the administration recognized and fulfilled the law. This political culture helped build a pluralistic society. In 1991, as a result of a referendum, Constitutional reform was approved. In 1992, three political groups were recognized -- they were the only three applications submitted. Now there were 13 political groups. Legislative and local elections had been held. Presidential elections were held in 1996.
Respect of democracy of human rights required favourable national and international circumstances, especially continued peace and coordinated efforts to wipe out poverty. Authorities were prohibited from infringing on people's human rights. This atmosphere was characterized by the rights for detainees, the right to a fair trial, and the right to representation. Society was making constant efforts to make sure this process would not be reversed. The Government had taken and continued to take all measures available to ensure human rights were addressed in schools and institutions. The teaching of human rights was not a single act, but a continuous process. Democracy had no maximum limit, and human rights had no ceiling. Every country aspired to such objectives. Personal rights -- freedom of movement, protection of personal data, freedom of expression, religious freedom, for example -- were enjoyed by all residing in Equatorial Guinea, and their standing was improving every day as their intellectual maturity continued to grow.
Economic rights, such as the right to private property and freedom of enterprise, and cultural rights like the right to education, were all objectives served by the financial resources of oil. All sectors of society participated in the National Economic Conference of 1997. That conference determined the objectives that had to be served by the country's financial resources. Last year, the country held a major conference on rural development and food security. That helped the country move from a subsistence agriculture to a market agriculture. There was a National Document on Women which took a view to empower women. To empower women in agricultural areas, it launched an economic programme for women to help generate income-producing activities for them. Ninety per cent of agriculture cooperatives were in the hands of women.
It had been 20 years since the country was considered by the Commission. A number of resolutions had been adopted, but the need for technical assistance, which was mentioned in the resolutions, was being entirely ignored. Without the assistance, it was the Government that was making massive efforts to improve the human rights situation in the country. There were no consistent serious violations in the country. The Government had inherited a totally devastated country. This was the understanding it hoped to see from the Commission. Equatorial Guinea requested advice and aid in helping to promote human rights. The order of peace and security which prevailed in the country stemmed from a policy of respect for human rights.
ELYES BEN MARZOUK, of the Tunisian Organization of Doctors Without Borders, said freedom of the press and of education and the distribution of books were imperative in respecting civil and political rights. Inevitably there had to be a review of the press code. True pluralism must be based on freedom of opinion. By its firm commitment, each country could undermine the manoeuvres of anti-social forces in the community. The media should maintain its principle functions, and report whenever human rights were violated. Differing opinions were important and should be expressed. The organization deplored the alarming situation in the occupied territories created by the Government of Israel. The aggressions against Palestinian civilians should be recognized.
ALVARO RAMAZZINI , of the Commission of the Churches on International Affairs of the World Council of Churches, said that in Guatemala, the year 2000 had been marked by the lack of independence and trust and attacks against judges. Human rights had deteriorated with more violations against human rights defenders. Freedom of expression had been under attack: threats and physical attacks against journalists had been registered. The human rights situation needed special attention. Guatemala had been confronted with a new wave of violence which was directed against judges in order to obstruct justice and generate impunity. The security of the administration of justice had been threatened more than ever.
KEAT WONG, of Rural Reconstruction Nepal, said that in the Kingdom of Bhutan fundamental freedoms such as the right to speech, expression and opinion, the right to assembly, union and association, the right to free press and the right to free and fair trial remained suspended. There was no written constitution or bill of rights. Hundreds of political prisoners, many of them Buddhist monks, continued to languish in Bhutanese prisoners. The right to assemble peacefully was a right fraught with insurmountable obstacles in Malaysia. The Malaysian Government often reported the existence of limited alternative media in the country as an indication of media freedom. However, the handful of alternative press faced different kinds of political harassment from time to time, including problems with circulation, printing and distribution.
ULRICH DELIUS, of the Society for Threatened Peoples, was exceptionally concerned about the increase in arbitrary detentions, torture and State oppression in the Indonesian province of Irian Jaya (Papua). In unfair trials held last month, five Papuan "separatists" were found guilty and sentenced to prison terms of up to four-and-a-half years. They should be released immediately. On the same day, another 17 Papuan demonstrators were sentenced to prison terms of up to three-and-a-half years. While in detention, they were subjected to frequent beatings in their cells by members of the police force. The Commission should send a Special Rapporteur to Irian Jaya to investigate accusations of torture and extrajudicial executions.
CIPRIANO CASTRO SAEZ, of the Organization of Solidarity of the Peoples of Africa, Asia and Latin America, said that it had become a habitual rhythm that in the United States, there were daily cases of racism, xenophobia and police brutality. It was paradoxical that the United States was accusing other States of human rights violations while it did not admit the violations under its territories. The prison conditions in the United States were one of the most horrible and inhuman. There were prisoners who had been languishing since the 1960s, including political prisoners. Among other prisoners were those who had been leaders of the social movement of the 1960s and 1970s and who were charged by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). For the past 10 years, an international campaign had been carried out for the liberation of Leonard Peltier, Mumia Abu Jamal and other 15 political and Puerto Rican prisoners of war.
TERESA FINIK, of Internet des Droits Humains, said that savage repression and aggression were committed with impunity against human rights defenders in Tunisia. These violations were part of a strategy used by the Tunisian authorities to muzzle and stifle independent organizations, the press and human rights defenders. On 8 March 1999, Tunisia adopted the Declaration on the Right and Responsibilities of Individuals, Groups and Civil Society to Promote and Protect Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. Despite the signing of the Declaration and statements made by senior Government officials on respect for human rights in Tunisia, despite the setting up of a plethora of administrative offices charged with human rights, reports continued to come from Tunisia and non-governmental organizations in Europe and America on the repression, aggression and reprisals committed by the security authorities against human rights defenders and a legal system that openly flouted the provisions contained in the Declaration and international instruments ratified by the country.
BOBBY CASTILLO, of the Indian Council of South America, said a lifelong advocate of indigenous peoples' rights had been incarcerated in the United States for more than 25 years on a crime he did not commit. He was being held for vindictive and political reasons. The United States should be held responsible for his illegal extradition from Canada in 1976. Civil court judges recognized and condemned the illegal extradition, but the United States had done nothing. The judge who sentenced him had consistently refused to hear new evidence that could prove his innocence. For the last 15 years, the Government had conceded it could not prove who was guilty of the crime for which he was sentenced. The United States' system of checks and balances had failed him. This should be investigated by the Special Rapporteur on the independence of lawyers and judges.
ESTELA BARNES DE CARLOTTO, of the International Movement for Fraternal Union among Races and Peoples, said she was the president of the Association of the Plaza de Mayo of Argentina, an association of mothers whose children had disappeared. The association had been struggling to find out the fate of their loved ones. Twenty-five years had passed since a military coup d'etat had taken place in her country, Argentina, which installed State terrorism in the country between 1976 and 1983. Today, public declarations by the new armed forces marked a new tendency to regress on the process of self-criticism concerning the dossier of missing persons. This was worrying. The executive power should try to find replies to answer the people who were requesting truth and justice concerning thousands of disappearances. The executive should also be forced to reveal the whereabouts of their grandchildren as they did not want to die before kissing them. The adoption of an international convention against enforced or involuntary disappearances of persons was important.
LYNA AL TABAL, of North South XXI, said Israel persisted in its refusal to apply the Convention against torture. The fact that torture was committed in Israel was established by the so-called Landau Report of 1987. The Israeli Supreme Court had also proven that this practice existed. However, it had not prohibited the practice, thereby opening the door for impunity. Arab detainees were routinely subjected to torture by the Shin Bet intelligence service. Torture was used as a form of collective punishment against Arab detainees. Israel also used doctors during torture. These doctors did not respect the Hippocratic oath that did not allow doctors to participate in torture. The fact that they were present during torture and spoke about the way it was applied meant that they were accomplices. Tens of thousands of Arab detainees were subjected to torture and this was confirmed by the Supreme Court. The international community was urged to urgently establish an international court to try all perpetrators of torture and to force Israel to pay compensation to victims. Speaking about Bahrain, the Representative said that dramatic changes had recently occurred in that country, including the release of all political prisoners and detainees, the return of political exiles and granting them their civil rights and granting women equal political rights with men.
VO VAN AI, of the International Federation of Human Rights Leagues, expressed satisfaction about the recent evolution in favour of the respect for civil and political rights and the establishment of the rule of law in Mexico, Peru and Bahrain. The League called upon the Governments of those countries to continue the implementation of their international obligations in human rights. In the area of the fight against impunity, the League welcomed the efforts made by the international community in the creation of a permanent international tribunal. It also welcomed the daily progress around the world in the fight against impunity, such as the recent detention of the former Yugoslav President Milosovic. The League, however, deplored the surprising decision of the court of cassation of Senegal in refusing the competence of a Senegalese judge not to prosecute the former Chadian dictator Hissene Habre, on the pretext that the Convention against Torture was not incorporated in the domestic legislation of Senegal. In Cameroon, a number of allegations on extra-judicial executions were not yet elucidated.
DEBORAH CHRISTINE STOTHARD, of Aliran, said she came from southeast Asia where there was an apparent obsession for breaking records. For example, Malaysia delighted in boasting of the highest tower, tallest flagpole, longest serving Prime Minister, most farcical trial, etc. Unfortunately in Burma, the military regime had so impoverished the country they could not afford to build gigantic structures. Instead, they aspired to the record of having the oldest political prisoner, namely Dr U Saw Mra Aung. The Burmese regime was also eligible for the record of detaining political prisoners after they had completed their sentences. The Representative said that, owing to constraints of time, she would refrain from speaking of the hundreds of political prisoners, harsh prison conditions, the detentions without trial, the sorry state of the judicial system, religious intolerance and the raging impunity being perpetrated in Burma. The Government was reminded that pursuing the record of the largest number of political prisoners, largest number of internally displaced people, largest number of youths excluded from education, and so on, was actually not something to be proud of. The country of Burma would celebrate the Buddhist New Year in two week's time. It was a tradition that people release birds and fish in order to gain merit. The Burmese regime should realize that releasing people, instead of birds and fish should gain them infinitely more merit.
MADINA MAGOMADOVA, of the International Peace Bureau, said that the Russian Government continued the war in the Chechen Republic under the slogan of an "anti-terrorist operation". The first to suffer from the military actions were the peaceful citizens, especially children. What was happening there must be qualified as a war crime and a crime against humanity. From 1994 to 1996, and from 1999 until now, a total of around 175,000 peaceful citizens had been killed, the majority children, women and old people. In February 2000, in just one Chechen village, 420 peaceful citizens were killed after rocket attacks by Russian troops. It was the first time during the last half century in Europe when a whole city was almost totally destroyed.
It was unfortunate that many politicians of different States did not want to see the real picture of what was going on in Chechnya, and were satisfied by declarations and symbolic steps from the Russian side. The methods of conducting war that the Russian Federation had chosen in the Northern Caucasus had turned the present Chechen campaign into a serious crime wave, accompanied by masses of victims. The internationally-recognized Government of the Russian Federation had signed a series of international documents and had accepted the responsibility to observe human rights. That was why the violations in Chechnya by the Russian federal forces were especially cynical and hard to bear. The Bureau urged the Commission to immediately create an independent international commission to investigate the crimes committed by the Russian army in Chechnya.
ZAHEER A. KAZMI, of the Al-Khoei Foundation, said that the international sanctions imposed against Iraq had been hugely detrimental to the humanitarian welfare of the Iraqi people and had in many ways strengthened the Iraqi regime. At present, where there was rightfully much support for a change to the sanctions regime, it was all the more important to sustain a critical position towards a Government with a history of abuse of the human rights of large sectors of its own population, most notably the Kurds and the Shi'a. In the case of Bahrain, the Foundation welcomed the decrees aimed at activating the national charter and drafting amendments to the 1973 Constitution. The release of political prisoners, return of exiles and abolition of the State security law and State security court were welcomed. It was hoped that the current reform process would put an end to the long-standing discrimination of the Islamist opposition by the Government.
The destruction of the statues of the Buddha in Bamiyan by the Taliban in Afghanistan was appalling. Concern was expressed at the situation in occupied Palestine, where Muslim Holy sites and Muslim worshippers were ill-treated at the hands of Israelis.
THIN THIN AUNG, of the Catholic Institute of International Relations, said that the Burmese people were living under the most repressive regime in the world. Over 1,500 people still remained imprisoned for political reasons. At least 34 Members of Parliament who were elected in the 1990 general elections still remained in prison and 36 Members of Parliament had been detained without trial in so-called government guesthouses since 1996. Human rights violations in Burma had been well documented by international human rights organizations such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the ILO and Burmese human rights organizations. Torture had become an institution in the country. The security forces continued to use torture to extract information, and punish, humiliate and control the people. Moreover, political prisoners were denied adequate food, medical care and sanitation and they got seriously ill because of harsh prison conditions. The Commission was urged to take urgent action for the release of all political prisoners, an end to illegal detention, and a halt of all the human rights violations in Burma.
AHMAR MUSTI KHAN, of the World Federation of Trade Unions, said it was regrettable that the terrible plight of the people of Balochistan, the illegally annexed southwestern province of Pakistan, had not received attention from the various mechanisms of the Commission. As if the butchery and savagery of the past bloody military operations were not enough, many of the political activists in Balochistan had been arrested and tortured. Two had been detained without trial for many months and tortured -- Nazi style -- in torture camps.
In this holocaust, State terrorism was in full swing in Balochistan, with the much-dreaded security forces killing innocent people for raising their voices against the injustice caused to them, personally and collectively. The Pakistani Coast Guards, civil armed forces and federally-controlled militias had made life for the common people miserable by committing excesses against them on a daily basis. The Commission was requested to give directions to concerned Working Groups to investigate the political and economic deprivation of the people of Balochistan and to convince the Government of Pakistan to take immediate corrective steps to wipe away the tears from the faces of the people and to grant them life, at least.
NAMGYAL BHUTIA, of the Worldview International Foundation, said that the reports of the Special Rapporteurs and Working Groups attested that the violations of civil and political rights had continued in many regions of the world. The many international and national mechanisms, including the mechanisms of the Commission which were established to protect civil and political rights, did not really seem to have served the purpose. Of particular concern was that those reports painted a very dismal situation for victims of human rights abuse in many State Members of the Commission. The situation of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the eleventh Panchen Lama of Tibet, had been raised in the Commission for the past six years, even through the thematic mechanisms. The eleven-year-old Tibetan boy was now recognized as the world's youngest prisoner. His well-being and whereabouts remained a major concern for Tibetans and followers of Tibetan Buddhism in the world. The Chinese authorities continued to defy the international community in failing to publicly declare the whereabouts of the Panchen Lama.
CHRISTIANE DEHOY, of Anti Slavery, said that the Lao Human Rights Group had reported that while a number of Church leaders and believers imprisoned in 1999 had been released in the course of the year 2000, new arrests had subsequently taken place and currently at least 25 church-goers were jailed in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. Since 1999, the Lao authorities had forcibly closed down at least 50 churches. In December 2000, only eight churches in Savannakhet province received permission to perform Christmas celebrations. Similarly, in Viet Nam, only State-sponsored religious organizations were authorized. Independent religious activities were prohibited and their followers were routinely harassed and imprisoned. In Myanmar, the Government continued to monitor the activities of members of all religions. In Afghanistan, the Taliban militia which controlled most of the country has recently created international outrage by its highly publicized destruction of the 2,000-year-old Buddha statues in Bamiyan, as well as the annihilation of collections of non-Muslim religious artifacts in the Kabul museum. The Taliban had also perpetrated widespread violations of human rights through aggressive imposition of their interpretation of the Sharia law.
HAESOOK KIM, of the World Peace Council, said that in September 1999, the Associated Press had written a Pulitzer Prize-winning article based on a thorough investigation of a massacre that took place in the Republic of Korea’s village of No Gun-ri in 1950. Hundreds of villagers were pinned beneath a bridge for three days as United States military forces hovered above in aircrafts, mowed them down with machine gun fire, and shot mortars at them. It was estimated that some 400 civilians, most women, children and elderly, were massacred. These tragic events occurred 50 years ago, during the Korean War. Subsequently, conditions of extreme repression had prevailed for decades in the Republic of Korea where Governments had been operating virtually under a state of occupation, with the presence of 37,000 United States troops and over 90 US military bases.
Recently, the people of the Republic of Korea had won a modicum of democracy. This situation, coupled with extremely hopeful moves toward peace and detente between their country and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, had meant that these victims, their families and other witnesses of these heinous crimes now felt somewhat less fearful to tell their stories. The Korea Truth Commission on US military massacres of civilians was established, and 60 sites of massacres had been identified in the southern part of Korea, and more than 100 in the northern part. To guarantee that such heinous violations of human rights never take place again, the Commission was implored to investigate and call for an apology and compensation to the victims of the US massacres of Korean civilians, even though they took place 50 years ago.
SADIA MIR, of Liberation, noted with concern the widespread and systematic use of torture in Peru against persons dared to protest against current political conditions. Despite the welcomed promulgation of the new law aimed at punishing the crime of torture, many perpetrators of torture were not held accountable of their acts. Liberation was also disturbed by the continuing cases of torture in Punjab, India, and the refusal by the Government to compensate or redress previous incidents of torture by the police in that region. Security forces acting with impunity could also be seen in Sudan. The harassment of political activists also continued in Malaysia. Liberation had received reports from the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh that the Peace Agreement of 1997 still remained to be implemented. The result of that was the continued abuse of human rights, and the increase in cases of torture and illegal detention of innocent men, women and children
MOHAMMAD ANWAR, of the World Federation of Democratic Youth, said that the Pakistani army had unleased unprecedented restrictions and selective stifling of the activities of pro-democracy political parties. The Government's human rights record remained poor and numerous serious abuses had been recorded. The army, state, intelligence agencies, para-military rangers, Frontier Constabulary, police and state patronised and harboured terrorist groups and committed numerous extra judicial killings, arbitrary arrests, torture in custody and custodial deaths. No officer or personnel of the law enforcement agency had ever been arrested or convicted of these heinous crimes. Those officers temporarily transferred or suspended for misuse of state powers were reinstated after a token period. Every government in Pakistan had believed in personal vendettas instead of reforming the country and every ruler had used unbridled power and corruption to protract his or her rule.
SULTAN SHAHIN, of the Himalayan Research and Cultural Foundation, said the discussion of religious intolerance came at perhaps its worst and most repulsive manifestation in recent times. The 2,000-year-old statues of the Lord Buddha, colossal images carved into the Hindukush mountains in Afghanistan, and hundreds of other precious artifacts that symbolized the country's glorious heritage, were lost to the world forever. These had survived the depredations of the vandals of the past. But in this day and age, when it was thought that the world was more civilized, this precious human heritage had been destroyed by the Taliban while the world watched helplessly in horror. What made this deed even more pernicious was that it was done in the name of religion and by people who claimed to be religious. Indeed, they claimed they were performing their religious duty. That brought into disrepute not only Islam, the religion they claimed to espouse, but the concept of religion itself, and hence it constituted an affront to all religious people of the world.
The Taliban were the product of thousands of religious seminaries run in various parts of Pakistan. American scholar Jessica Stern quoted Pakistani officials to have estimated that 10 to 15 per cent of these seminaries taught jihadism -- in which the Islamic concept of jihad was equated with guerrilla warfare. It was gratifying that the Special Rapporteur in his report acknowledged the danger represented by the extremism of groups claiming allegiance to Islam. It was important to distinguish between such extremists using Islam for political purposes, who were in fact in a minority, and the majority of Muslims who practised Islam in accordance with the principles of tolerance and non-discrimination. Several speakers in the Commission had complained of an attempt to encourage Islamophobia in the world. But if Muslims were not able to stop religious extremists from spreading pernicious philosophes like jihadism, and allow people like Osama bin Laden to continue with impunity to motivate Muslims, how could others be asked not to fear Islam as an instrument of terror and consider it an instrument of peace, as it indeed should be. It was primarily the duty of Muslims to see that Islam continued to play the role of a blessing for humankind that it was meant to be.
A. HASAN, of the International Institute for Peace, said that there was a rise in extra-judicial killings, torture, violence and denial of justice in Bangladesh. Violence against women and children was also increasing. In 2000, 800 women had reported to be killed due to torture. There were 186 cases of acid burns and 70 cases of death in safe custody. In addition, the use of explosives against political and business opponents was quite common in the country. Each year, the number of bomb victims was increasing. But why were violence and human rights violations continuing? It was because of the presence of the wrong people in politics and the wrong philosophy and wrong culture of the society. It was the social and political acceptance of violations of human rights which had given power to the abusers in the society. Not only were women unsafe in Bangladesh, but common people who were away from power and politics were vulnerable to threats of violence and bodily harm.
Rights of Reply
A Representative of Colombia, speaking in right of reply, said that his delegation rejected the assertions made by a number of non-governmental organizations, particularly when they ignored the enormous sacrifice made by civil servants, including soldiers and judges who lost their lives in defence of the democratic institutions of Colombia. The Colombian delegation rejected
attempts to question the constitutional effort to promote human rights and combat armed groups. The delegation also rejected the claims made by the European Union, especially since Colombia cooperated with United Nations mechanisms for the promotion and protection of human rights.
A Representative of Lao People’s Democratic Republic, exercising a right of reply, said the Government rejected the allegation made by a non-governmental organization. The Lao People’s Democratic Republic fully respected the right to religious freedom -- it was enshrined in the Constitution. The allegations were based on unfounded information. A number of protestors had been arrested and detained because of illegal activities. Generally, the situation of women's rights was better than it had been during the war, although the consequences of the war were still being felt.
A Representative of Malaysia, speaking in a right of reply, said that freedom of the press was not restricted in his country and that opposition newspapers were freely distributed without any obstacles. In addition, foreign newspapers were freely circulating without any censorship. Journalists had the right to interview any Government authority in order to obtain any information. Written newspapers were not owned by the Government. With regard to the freedom of assembly, the Government had been issuing permissions for any demands for demonstrations which would be held in accordance with the rule of law.
CORRIGENDUM
In press release HR/CN/01/33 of 4 April, the statement of the delegation of Nepal on page 8 should read as follows:
NABIN BAHADUR SHRESTHA (Nepal) said being a least-developed country, Nepal was today facing an enormous challenge in maintaining its best efforts for strengthening the democratic system and promoting economic development of the country at the same time by protecting the rights and interests of its citizens. As acknowledged in the report of the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, the problem of the Nepal Communist Party (Maoists) was posing a threat to the very survival of democracy in the country. The Party had created an obstruction to the full enjoyment of the rights guaranteed by the Constitution. So far, 1,593 people, including many civilians, political activists and other members of civil society had been killed by the Party.
The Government of Nepal had given a high priority to the resolving the problems created by the Party. It continued to make efforts to find a political solution by means of negotiation and had called upon the Party to come to the negotiating table within the constitutional process by renouncing terrorist activities. While noting the concern expressed by the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Nepal, it was the position of the Government that every effort would be made to improve the protection and promotion of human rights in the country.
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