HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS URGES SPECIAL SESSION OF HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION ON EAST TIMOR

7 September 1999



United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson urged the Commission on Human Rights this morning to consider holding a special session to examine the "extremely serious" situation in East Timor.

Speaking at a meeting of the Bureau of the Commission at which she also presented a consolidated report on the situation in Kosovo, Mrs. Robinson said the ongoing violation of the right to self-determination of the East Timorese, a continuing mass exodus and arbitrary execution of civilians warranted her raising the issue of a special session, even though, she pointed out, the request for such a meeting must come from a member State of the United Nations. The High Commissioner added that she hoped the Commission would be able to consider the matter in the coming days, "before the situation deteriorates even further".

In the last decade the Commission, which normally meets in the spring in Geneva, has held three special sessions: in 1992 and 1993 on the situation in the former Yugoslavia, and in 1994 on the situation in Rwanda.