Commentary on the Fourth Periodic Report of the Netherlands on the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) The Netherlands, 8th August 2008 This report has been written by Chantal van den Berg, Vincent Böhre, Marije Graven, Maria Lourijsen and Dženeta Mulabegović, on behalf of the Dutch section of the International Commission of Jurists (NJCM) with contributions by the following NGOs: • Art. 1 (Dutch National Association Against Discrimination) • CG-Raad (Dutch Council for the Chronically Ill and the Disabled) • COC Nederland (Dutch Association for Integration of Homosexuality) • Defence for Children International Nederland • Johannes Wier Foundation for Health and Human Rights • Justitia et Pax Nederland • MOVISIE (Dutch Centre for Social Development) • Netwerk VN-Vrouwenverdrag (Dutch CEDAW Network) • VluchtelingenWerk Nederland (Dutch Council for Refugees) The report is further submitted on behalf of the following NGOs / IGO: • Aim for Human Rights (former Humanist Committee on Human Rights) • De Rode Draad (Dutch Prostitutes’ Rights Organisation) • LEEFtijd (Dutch Expertise Centre on Age and Life Course) • Unicef Nederland Contact information: Dutch section of the International Commission of Jurists (Nederlands Juristen Comité voor de Mensenrechten, NJCM) P.O. Box 9520 2300 RA Leiden The Netherlands Phone: +31 (0)71 527 7748 Fax: +31 (0)71 527 7383 Email:
[email protected] Website: www.njcm.nl i Table of Contents INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................... 1 COMMENTARY IN THE LIGHT OF THE PROVISIONS OF THE ICCPR ................ 1 ARTICLE 2: NON-DISCRIMINATION AND THE RIGHT TO AN EFFECTIVE REMEDY.................... 2 Judicial Review in Asylum Procedures ........................................................................... 2 The Salah Sheekh Case................................................................................................... 2 ARTICLE 7: PROHIBITION OF TORTURE AND INHUMAN OR DEGRADING TREATMENT ............