Selected Decisions of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
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Volume I INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION SELECTED DECISIONS OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE ELIMINATION OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION Thirty-sixth to seventy-fifth sessions (August 1988 – August 2011) INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION SELECTED DECISIONS OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE ELIMINATION OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION Volume I Thirty-sixth to seventy-fifth sessions (August 1988 – August 2011) UNITED NATIONS New York and Geneva, 2012 NOTE The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. * * * Symbols of United Nations documents are composed of capital letters combined with figures. Mention of such a symbol indicates a reference to a United Nations document. HR/CERD/PUB/1 UNITED NATIONS PUBLICATION Sales N° E.12.XIV.2 ISBN-13: 978-92-1-154195-3 e-ISBN-13: 978-92-1-055245-5 © 2012 United Nations All worldwide rights reserved Contents Page Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………. 1 FINAL DECISIONS I. Opinions under article 14 of the Convention (Committee’s session indicated in brackets) No. 1/1984 [36] Yilmaz-Dogan v. Netherlands ............................................................. 3 No. 2/1989 [39] Demba Talibe Diop v. France ............................................................. 7 No. 3/1991 [44] Michel L.N. Narrainen v. Norway ........................................................ 12 No. 4/1991 [42] L.K. v. Netherlands ............................................................................. 18 No. 6/1995 [55] Z.U.B.S. v. Australia ........................................................................... 22 No. 8/1996 [54] B.M.S. v. Australia .............................................................................. 34 No. 10/1997 [54] Ziad Ben Ahmed Habassi v. Denmark ............................................... 43 No. 11/1998 [59] Miroslav Lacko v. Slovakia ................................................................. 49 No. 13/1998 [57] Anna Koptova v. Slovakia ................................................................... 55 No. 16/1999 [56] Kashif Ahmad v. Denmark .................................................................. 65 No. 17/1999 [57] B.J. v. Denmark .................................................................................. 70 No. 26/2002 [62] Stephen Hagan v. Australia ............................................................... 75 No. 27/2002 [63] Kamal Quereshi v. Denmark .............................................................. 82 No. 29/2003 [68] Dragan Durmic v. Serbia and Montenegro ......................................... 88 No. 30/2003 [67] The Jewish community of Oslo et al. v. Norway ................................. 97 No. 31/2003 [66] L.R. et al. v. Slovakia .......................................................................... 108 No. 32/2003 [66] Emir Sefic v. Denmark ........................................................................ 118 No. 34/2004 [68] Mohammed Hassan Gelle v. Denmark ............................................... 124 No. 38/2006 [72] Zentralrat Deutscher Sinti und Roma et al. v. Germany ..................... 130 No. 39/2006 [72] D.F. v. Australia ................................................................................. 136 No. 40/2007 [71] Murat Er v. Denmark ........................................................................... 140 No. 41/2008 [75] Ahmed Farah Jama v. Denmark ......................................................... 146 II. Decisions declaring communications inadmissible No. 5/1994 [46] C.P. v. Denmark ................................................................................. 153 No. 7/1995 [51] Paul Barbaro v. Australia .................................................................... 159 No. 9/1997 [53] D.S. v. Sweden .................................................................................. 166 No. 18/2000 [58] F.A. v. Norway .................................................................................. 171 No. 19/2000 [59] Sarwar Seliman Mostafa v. Denmark ................................................ 174 No. 21/2001 [59] D.S. v. Sweden .................................................................................. 179 No. 22/2002 [62] POEM and FASM v. Denmark ............................................................ 180 No. 25/2002 [62] Ahmad Najaati Sadic v. Denmark....................................................... 188 No. 28/2003 [63] The Documentation and Advisory Centre on Racial Discrimination v. Denmark……………….. .................................................................. 194 No. 36/2006 [71] P.S.N. v. Denmark .............................................................................. 199 INDEXES Index by article of the Convention…………………………………………………………........ 207 Subject index…………………………………………………………...…………………………. 209 Author and victim index…………………………………………………………........................ 212 iii Introduction Promoting and encouraging universal respect to receive and consider communications from for and observance of human rights and individuals or group of individuals, under fundamental freedoms for all, without article 14. Such communications are distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference considered in closed meetings and all based on race, colour, descent, or national or documents pertaining to the work of the ethnic origin is one of the main purposes of the Committee under article 14 are confidential United Nations. The adoption of the until a final decision has been made. International Convention on the Elimination of By 20 January 2012, the following 54 States All Forms of Racial Discrimination was an had made the declaration under article 14: important step in the codification process to combat such discrimination. It constitutes the Algeria, Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, normative basis upon which international Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bolivia (Plurinational efforts to eliminate it should be built. State of), Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, As at 20 January 2012, there were 175 State Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, parties to the Convention, which was adopted Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, by the General Assembly in resolution Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, 2106 (XX) of 21 December 1965 and opened Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, for signature and ratification in New York on Norway, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Republic of 7 March 1966. The Convention entered into Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, San force on 4 January 1969 in accordance with Marino, Senegal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, the provisions of its article 19. South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the In accordance with its article 8, the Committee former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination was Ukraine, Uruguay, and Venezuela (Bolivarian established to ensure that the Convention is Republic of). observed and implemented. The Committee is Upon receiving a communication, the composed of 18 independent experts of high Committee transmits it to the State party moral standing and acknowledged impartiality. concerned for observations relevant to the Members are elected for a term of four years question of admissibility of the communication. and serve in their personal capacity. They may Conditions for admissibility are specified in the be re-elected if nominated. Convention and in the Committee’s rules of The Committee convenes twice a year for procedure (HRI/GEN/3/Rev.3), pursuant to three-week sessions. It elects a Chair, three which the Committee ascertains: Vice-Chairs and a Rapporteur from among its x That the communication is not anonymous own members for a term of two years. These and that it comes from an individual or officers are eligible for re-election. The group of individuals subject to the Committee’s main activity is to monitor the jurisdiction of a State party recognizing the implementation of the Convention by its State competence of the Committee under article parties through periodic reporting. In addition 14; to the reporting procedure, there are two other mechanisms through which the Committee x That the individual claims to be a victim of a performs its monitoring functions: the violation by the State party concerned of examination of inter-State communications any of the rights set forth in the Convention. and the examination of individual As a general rule, the communication communications under article 14 of the should be submitted by the individual Convention. himself or by his relatives or designated representatives; Under the individual communications procedure, individuals can, under certain x That the communication is submitted to the circumstances, lodge complaints claiming that Committee within six months after the any of the rights set forth in the Convention exhaustion of domestic remedies; have been violated. No communication can be x That the communication is compatible with received by the Committee if it concerns a the provisions of the Convention; State party to the Convention that has not recognized the competence of the Committee 1 x That the communication is not an abuse of communication and