HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE EXPRESSES EXTREMELY GRAVE CONCERNS ABOUT RESPECT OF CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS IN AFGHANISTAN

Human Rights Committee
73rd session
22 October 2001





Decides to Postpone Consideration of
Report of Afghanistan to a Future Session



The Human Rights Committee today said that it has extremely grave concerns about the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in Afghanistan, especially as related to the situation of women, public and summary executions, and religious intolerance.

In a communique adopted during a closed meeting, the Committee said that its original programme for its present session had included consideration of a report of Afghanistan on 23 and 24 October. A list of issues which reflected the Committee’s concerns had been drawn up in anticipation of the review. At the beginning of the session, a representative of the Secretariat said the Afghan Government had indicated that a Government delegation would not attend the relevant meetings.

The communique said that while the present situation in Afghanistan had added further grave concerns regarding protection of Covenant rights in that country, the Committee believed that consideration of the report at this time would not be productive.

The Communique said that the Committee had decided to postpone consideration of the Afghanistan report and would schedule review of the implementation of the Covenant in that country at a future session which would better serve the purposes of article 40 of the Covenant. Article 40 states that the States parties undertake to submit reports on the measures they have adopted which give effect to the rights recognized herein and on the progress made in the enjoyment of those rights.

The text of the list of issues reflecting the Committee’s concerns can be found at the following address: http://www.unog.ch/news/documents/newsen/ct0131e.html





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