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UNITED NATIONS Distr. Economic and Social GENERAL Cbiihcii . -'t\ E/CN.4/1991/36 i February 1991 ENGLISH Original: ENGLISH/FRENCH/ SPANISH COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS Fourty-seventh session Agenda item 12 QUESTION OF THE VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS IN ANY PART OF THE WORLD, WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO COLONIAL AND OTHER DEPENDENT COUNTRIES AND TERRITORIES Summary or arbitrary executions Report by the Special Rapporteur. Mr. S. Amos Wako. pursuant to Commission on Human Rights resolution 1990/51 GE.91-10314/2827B E/CN.4/1991/36 page ii CONTENTS Paragraphs Page Introduction 1- 5 1 Chapter I. ACTIVITIES OF THE SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR 6 - 20 2 A. Consultations 6 2 B. Communications 7 - 19 2 C. Joint hearings on southern Africa 20 3 II. SITUATIONS 21-567 4 A. General .. 21 4 B. Country situations 22-567 4 . Afghanistan 22 - 24 4 . Bangladesh 25 - 28 4 . Brazil 29 - 63 6 . Bulgaria 64 - 66 14 . Burkina Faso 67- 70 14 . Cameroon 71 - 74 15 . Chad 75 - 80 15 . Chile 81 16 . China 82 - 99 19 . Colombia 100-138 22 . El Salvador 139-149 34 . Ethiopia 150-157 37 . Ghana 158-160 39 . Guatemala 161 - 193 39 . Haiti 194-196 48 . Honduras 197 - 206 49 . India 207-215 52 . Indonesia 216 - 227 56 . Iran (Islamic Republic of) 228 - 268 60 . Iraq 269 - 289 68 . Israel 290-296 74 . Malawi 297-298 76 . Mali 299-301 77 . Mauritania 302 - 309 77 . Mexico 310-329 79 . Morocco 330-331 85 . Myanmar 332-336 85 . Nepal 337-341 86 . Niger 342-346 86 . Nigeria 347-355 87 E/CN.4/1991/36 page iii CONTENTS (continued) Chapter Paragraphs Page II. Papua New Guinea 356 - 358 89 (cont'd) . Paraguay 359-361 89 . Peru 362-390 90 . Philippines 391-422 95 • Romania 423 - 431 104 . Senegal 432-433 105 . Somalia 434-439 106 . South Africa 440-464 108 . Sri Lanka 465-484 114 . Sudan 485-493 121 . Suriname 494-495 124 . Syrian Arab Republic 496-498 124 . Tunisia 499 - 500 125 . Turkey 501-504 125 . Union of Soviet Socialist Republics 505 - 513 128 . United States of America 514 - 520 130 . Venezuela 521-537 131 . Yugoslavia 538-564 136 . Zaire 565 - 567 142 III. LEGAL AND ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK WITHIN WHICH THE MANDATE OF THE SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR IS IMPLEMENTED .. 568-575 143 IV. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 576-599 146 A. Conclusions 576 - 596 146 B. Recommendations 597-599 150 Annex Basic Principles on the use of force and firearms by Law Enforcement Officials 152 E/CN.4/1991/36 page 1 INTRODUCTION 1. The present report is submitted pursuant to Commission on Human Rights resolution 1990/51 of 6 March 1990 entitled "Summary or arbitrary executions". This is the ninth report of the Special Rapporteur to the Commission on Human Rights on the subject. 2. In his eight previous reports (E/CN.4/1983/16 and Add.l, E/CN.4/1984/29, E/CN.4/1985/17, E/CN.4/1986/21, E/CN.4/1987/20, E/CN.4/1988/22 and Add.l and 2, E/CN.4/1989/25 and E/CN.4/1990/22 and Add.l), the Special Rapporteur dealt with and examined the various aspects of the phenomenon of summary executions, including legal and theoretical issues. 3. The present report opens in chapter I with a summary of the activities undertaken by the Special Rapporteur over the past year. Chapter II describes country-specific situations in which the Special Rapporteur has invoked his mandate: in part B thereof, the Special Rapporteur describes urgent appeals and other communications transmitted to Governments, together with any replies or observations received from them. The Special Rapporteur hopes that he has presented a comprehensive picture of the situation in each country. 4. In chapter III, the Special Rapporteur sets forth the legal and analytical framework within which he carried out his mandate. Finally, in chapter IV the Special Rapporteur sets forth his conclusions, highlighting four issues: (1) death threats, (2) deaths in custody, (3) executions following inadequate trial or judicial procedures, and (4) extra-legal executions within the context of situations of internal conflict. 5. Based upon his analysis of the information received, the Special Rapporteur closes his report with a number of recommendations designed to more effectively ensure, in future, respect for the international instruments and standards to which his mandate refers. E/CN.4/1991/36 page 2 I. ACTIVITIES OF THE SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR A. Consultations 6. The Special Rapporteur visited the Centre for Human Rights, United Nations Office at Geneva, in July and October/November 1990 for consultations with the Secretariat and again in January 1991 to finalize his report. B. Communications 1. Information received 7. In the course of his present mandate, the Special Rapporteur received communications containing information concerning summary or arbitrary executions from Governments, non-governmental organizations and individuals. The amount of communications has increased every year. 8. Information of a general nature was received from the Governments of Brunei Darussalam, Colombia, Cuba, China, El Salvador, Kenya, Mauritania, Myanmar, Pakistan, Romania, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, United Republic of Tanzania and Yugoslavia. 9. Information of a general nature and/or concerning specific allegations of summary or arbitrary executions was received from the following non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council: Amnesty International, Andean Commission of Jurists, Anti-Apartheid Movement, Arab Lawyers Union, Commission of the Churches on International Affairs of the World Council of Churches, International Association of Democratic Lawyers, International Commission of Jurists, International Commission of Health Professionals, International Committee of the Red Cross, International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, International Defence and Aid Fund for South Africa, International Federation of Human Rights, International Federation Terre des Hommes, International League for Human Rights, International Organization of Journalists, Pax Christi - International Catholic Peace Movement, Pax Romana - International Catholic Movement for Intellectual and Cultural Affairs, Regional Council on Human Rights in Asia, Union of Arab Jurists, Women's International Democratic Federation. 10. In addition, information concerning alleged cases of summary or arbitrary executions was received from a number of regional, national and local non-governmental organizations, groups and individuals in various parts of the world. 2. Allegations of summary or arbitrary executions 11. In the course of his mandate, the Special Rapporteur sent cables and letters to Governments concerning allegations of imminent or actual summary or arbitrary executions in their countries. 12. In reply to the Special Rapporteur's cables and letters, a number of Governments provided him with information and observations concerning the allegations. For the sake of the preparation in time of the present report, the Special Rapporteur was obliged to leave the Government replies which reached him after 15 January 1991 to his next report. E/CN.4/1991/36 page 3 (a) Urgent appeals 13. In response to information containing allegations of imminent or threatened summary or arbitrary executions which appeared prima facie relevant to his mandate, the Special Rapporteur addressed 64 urgent messages by cable to 25 Governments, appealing for the Government's protection of the right to life of the individuals concerned and requesting information concerning those allegations. These Governments are: Afghanistan, Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Colombia, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Israel, Mexico, Nepal, Nigeria, Peru, Philippines, Romania, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the United States of America. 14. Replies were received from the following Governments: Brazil, China, Colombia, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Israel, Mexico, Peru, Philippines, Romania, Sudan and the United States of America. 15. In addition, replies were received from the following six Governments concerning the cables sent by the Special Rapporteur during 1989: Brazil, China, Mexico, Sri Lanka, Sudan and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. 16. These messages and the replies received are summarized in chapter II; the full texts are available for consultation in the Secretariat files. (b) Requests for information concerning alleged summary or arbitrary executions 17. The Special Rapporteur also sent 61 letters to 45 Governments concerning alleged summary or arbitrary executions in their countries, as follows: Bangladesh, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, China, Colombia, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Israel, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mexico, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Venezuela, Yugoslavia and Zaire. 18. Replies were received from the following Governments: Bangladesh, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Honduras, Indonesia, Iraq, Malawi, Mauritania, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Turkey, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and Yugoslavia. 19. In addition, replies were received from the following 10 Governments concerning the allegations transmitted by the Special Rapporteur during 1989: Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Indonesia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Venezuela and Yugoslavia. C. Joint