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18 May 2000
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CAT
24th Session
18 May 2000
Afternoon
The Committee against Torture this afternoon discussed issues pertaining to the improvement of the implementation of the provisions of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and the creation of a working group on communications.
The Chairperson of the Committee, Peter Thomas Burns, said that a consensus among the Committee's experts could be reached in order to request the Secretary-General to approve the creation of a working group which would meet for a week before each session to examine communications received from individuals. Articles 21 and 22 of the Convention say that a State party to the Convention might at any time declare that it recognized the competence of the Committee to receive and consider communications from individuals subject to its jurisdiction who claimed to be victims of violations by a State party of the provisions of the treaty. The one-week session would enable the Committee to examine communications effectively and in a coherent manner, Mr. Burns said.
In accordance with its internal regulations, the Committee had requested the Secretary-General to evaluate the cost of this proposition before any measures were taken. Even if resources were made available, the working group would not start its work before two years, due to the fact the the General Assembly should first pass a resolution in view of setting up the group, Mr. Burns said.
Also this afternoon, the Committee requested its expert, Alexander M. Yakovlev, to present to it, during the next session, a working document which would contain a general observation on the definition of torture. Another Committee expert, Guibril Camara, was entrusted to present a working paper on the issue of temporary measures retaining to articles 3 and 22 of the Convention. Article 3 was on non-refoulement of refugees while article 22 dealt with communications.
The Committee will reconvene at 10 p.m. on Friday, 19 May, in public session to conclude its twenty-fourth session.
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24th Session
18 May 2000
Afternoon
The Committee against Torture this afternoon discussed issues pertaining to the improvement of the implementation of the provisions of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and the creation of a working group on communications.
The Chairperson of the Committee, Peter Thomas Burns, said that a consensus among the Committee's experts could be reached in order to request the Secretary-General to approve the creation of a working group which would meet for a week before each session to examine communications received from individuals. Articles 21 and 22 of the Convention say that a State party to the Convention might at any time declare that it recognized the competence of the Committee to receive and consider communications from individuals subject to its jurisdiction who claimed to be victims of violations by a State party of the provisions of the treaty. The one-week session would enable the Committee to examine communications effectively and in a coherent manner, Mr. Burns said.
In accordance with its internal regulations, the Committee had requested the Secretary-General to evaluate the cost of this proposition before any measures were taken. Even if resources were made available, the working group would not start its work before two years, due to the fact the the General Assembly should first pass a resolution in view of setting up the group, Mr. Burns said.
Also this afternoon, the Committee requested its expert, Alexander M. Yakovlev, to present to it, during the next session, a working document which would contain a general observation on the definition of torture. Another Committee expert, Guibril Camara, was entrusted to present a working paper on the issue of temporary measures retaining to articles 3 and 22 of the Convention. Article 3 was on non-refoulement of refugees while article 22 dealt with communications.
The Committee will reconvene at 10 p.m. on Friday, 19 May, in public session to conclude its twenty-fourth session.
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