A/60/40 (Vol. I) United Nations Report of the Human Rights Committee Volume I Eighty-second session (18 October-5 November 2004) Eighty-third session (14 March-1 April 2005) Eighty-fourth session (11-29 July 2005) General Assembly Official Records Sixtieth session Supplement No. 40 (A/60/40) A/60/40 (Vol. I) General Assembly Official Records Sixtieth session Supplement No. 40 (A/60/40) Report of the Human Rights Committee Volume I Eighty-second session (18 October-5 November 2004) Eighty-third session (14 March-1 April 2005) Eighty-fourth session (11-29 July 2005) United Nations • New York, 2005 Note 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. CONTENTS Volume I Paragraphs Page Summary .......................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter I. JURISDICTION AND ACTIVITIES .......................................... 1 - 51 3 A. States parties to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights .............................................................. 1 - 6 3 B. Sessions of the Committee ................................................... 7 4 C. Election of officers .............................................................. 8 - 9 4 D. Special rapporteurs .............................................................. 10 - 12 4 E. Working groups and country report task forces .................. 13 - 18 5 F. Secretary-General’s recommendations for reform of the treaty bodies ................................................................... 19 - 23 6 G. Related United Nations human rights activities .................. 24 - 27 7 H. Derogations pursuant to article 4 of the Covenant .............. 28 - 35 7 I. Meeting with States parties .................................................. 36 - 41 9 J. General comments under article 40, paragraph 4, of the Covenant ........................................................................ 42 10 K. Staff resources ..................................................................... 43 10 L. Emoluments of the Committee ............................................ 44 10 M. Publicity for the work of the Committee ............................. 45 - 47 10 N. Publications relating to the work of the Committee ............ 48 - 49 11 O. Future meetings of the Committee ...................................... 50 11 P. Adoption of the report ......................................................... 51 11 GE.05-43823 (E) 101005 iii CONTENTS (continued) Chapter Paragraphs Page II. METHODS OF WORK OF THE COMMITTEE UNDER ARTICLE 40 OF THE COVENANT AND COOPERATION WITH OTHER UNITED NATIONS BODIES ........................... 52 - 68 13 A. Recent developments and decisions on procedures ............ 53 - 63 13 B. Concluding observations ..................................................... 64 15 C. Links to other human rights treaties and treaty bodies ....... 65 - 67 16 D. Cooperation with other United Nations bodies ................... 68 18 III. SUBMISSION OF REPORTS BY STATES PARTIES UNDER ARTICLE 40 OF THE COVENANT ........................... 69 - 79 18 A. Reports submitted to the Secretary-General from August 2004 to July 2005 ................................................... 70 18 B. Overdue reports and non-compliance by States parties with their obligations under article 40 ................................ 71 - 79 18 IV. CONSIDERATION OF REPORTS SUBMITTED BY STATES PARTIES UNDER ARTICLE 40 OF THE COVENANT .......... 80 - 95 22 Finland ......................................................................................... 81 22 Albania ......................................................................................... 82 25 Benin ............................................................................................ 83 30 Morocco ....................................................................................... 84 35 Poland .......................................................................................... 85 40 Kenya ........................................................................................... 86 44 Iceland .......................................................................................... 87 50 Mauritius ...................................................................................... 88 52 Uzbekistan ................................................................................... 89 56 Greece .......................................................................................... 90 60 Yemen .......................................................................................... 91 65 Tajikistan ..................................................................................... 92 70 Slovenia ....................................................................................... 93 74 Syrian Arab Republic .................................................................. 94 78 Thailand ....................................................................................... 95 83 iv CONTENTS (continued) Chapter Paragraphs Page V. CONSIDERATION OF COMMUNICATIONS UNDER THE OPTIONAL PROTOCOL ................................................... 96 - 223 90 A. Progress of work .................................................................. 99 - 105 90 B. Growth of the Committee’s caseload under the Optional Protocol ................................................................. 106 92 C. Approaches to considering communications under the Optional Protocol ................................................................. 107 - 110 92 D. Individual opinions .............................................................. 111 - 112 93 E. Issues considered by the Committee .................................... 113 - 204 94 F. Remedies called for under the Committee’s Views ............ 205 - 223 117 VI. FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITIES UNDER THE OPTIONAL PROTOCOL ................................................................................. 224 - 230 120 VII. FOLLOW-UP TO CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS .............. 231 - 234 139 Annexes I. STATES PARTIES TO THE INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS AND TO THE OPTIONAL PROTOCOLS AND STATES WHICH HAVE MADE THE DECLARATION UNDER ARTICLE 41 OF THE COVENANT AS AT 31 JULY 2005 ......................................................................................... 147 A. States parties to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights ............................................................................................ 147 B. States parties to the Optional Protocol ........................................................ 151 C. States parties to the Second Optional Protocol, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty ..................................................................................... 155 D. States which have made the declaration under article 41 of the Covenant ..................................................................................................... 156 II. MEMBERSHIP AND OFFICERS OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE, 2004-2005 .................................................................................. 159 A. Membership of the Human Rights Committee ........................................... 159 B. Officers ....................................................................................................... 161 v CONTENTS (continued) Page Annexes III. SUBMISSION OF REPORTS AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION BY STATES PARTIES UNDER ARTICLE 40 OF THE COVENANT ........... 162 IV. STATUS OF REPORTS AND SITUATIONS CONSIDERED DURING THE PERIOD UNDER REVIEW AND OF REPORTS STILL PENDING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ............................................................................ 169 Volume II V. VIEWS OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE UNDER ARTICLE 5, PARAGRAPH 4, OF THE OPTIONAL PROTOCOL TO THE INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS ......................................................................................... A. Communication No. 823/1998, Czernin v. The Czech Republic (Views adopted on 29 March 2005, eighty-third session) ........................... Appendix B. Communication No. 879/1998, Howard v. Canada (Views adopted on 26 July 2005, eighty-fourth session)............................. C. Communication No. 903/2000, van Hulst v. The Netherlands (Views adopted on 1 November 2004, eighty-second session) ................... D. Communication No. 912/2000, Ganga v. Guyana (Views adopted on 1 November 2004, eighty-second session) ................... E. Communication No. 931/2000, Hudoyberganova v. Uzbekistan (Views adopted on 5 November 2004, eighty-second session) ................... Appendix F. Communication No. 945/2000, Marik v. The Czech Republic (Views adopted on 26 July 2005, eighty-fourth session)............................. G. Communication No. 968/2001, Jong-Choel v. The Republic of Korea (Views adopted on 27 July 2005, eighty-fourth session)............................. Appendix H. Communication No. 971/2001, Arutyuniantz v. Uzbekistan (Views adopted on 30 March 2005, eighty-third session) ........................... vi CONTENTS (continued) Page Annexes V. (cont’d) I. Communication No. 973/2001, Khalilov v. Tajikistan (Views adopted on 30 March 2005, eighty-third session)........................... J. Communication No. 975/2001, Ratiani v. Georgia (Views adopted on 21 July 2005, eighty-fourth session) ...........................