Credit: UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferre)
This week, the Human Rights Committee will commence its 114th session in Geneva, Switzerland. The session will take place from June 29 to July 24, during which time the Committee will review the State reports of Canada, France, Macedonia, Spain, the United Kingdom, Uzbekistan, and Venezuela. The Committee will also review reports submitted by civil society organizations and national human rights institutions (NHRIs) concerning the States’ implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). At the conclusion of the review process, the Committee will issue concluding observations for each State, containing its concerns and recommendations on each State’s implementation of the Covenant. All States are obliged to submit regular reports to the Committee within one year of accepting the Covenant and thereafter whenever the Committee requests.
The Committee’s agenda and program of work also include meetings with individuals from various UN bodies, agencies, NHRIs, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs); the review of communications submitted under the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; and informal meetings with States parties.
During this session, the Committee will also adopt lists of issues for Costa Rica, Namibia, Rwanda, Slovenia, and South Africa as well as a “list of issues prior to reporting” (LOIPR) for Belarus, Bulgaria, and El Salvador. This LOPIR means that the State party will be given a list of issues to which it must respond and States will submit these responses in place of periodic reports.
Archived Committee sessions are available on the UN Treaty Body Webcast.
Canada
The Committee asked Canada to provide information on measures it has taken to: monitor the human rights practices of Canadian oil, mining, and gas companies operating abroad; provide legal remedies for victims of human rights abuses arising from overseas operations of Canadian extractive firms; ensure gender equality, particularly equal pay for equal work and access to employment opportunities; conduct independent and impartial investigations on excessive use of force by the police; and enact anti-domestic violence legislation. Canada was also asked to comment on attempts to: reduce restrictions on the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association at the provincial and territorial levels, amend legislation subjecting undocumented immigrants to mandatory detention, and restrict the use of solitary confinement. With respect to the Aboriginal population, the Committee inquired about steps Canada has taken to: prosecute, convict, and impose sanctions in cases of disappearances and murders; ensure the right to a fair trial without undue delay; ensure that foster care programs respect their rights; prevent the decline of their native languages; and ensure that they do not lose their rights and titles to land. See Human Rights Committee, List of issues in relation to the sixth periodic report of Canada, CCPR/C/CAN/Q/6, 21 November 2014.
For detailed information on Canada’s replies to the Committee’s inquiries see Canada’s report.
Multiple civil society organizations, including Amnesty International and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, submitted reports to the Committee concerning Canada’s implementation of the ICCPR. Additionally, the Canadian Human Rights Commission, the NHRI in Canada, submitted a supplementary report for the Committee’s consideration.
France
The Committee asked France to provide information on measures it has taken to: ensure that counter-terrorism procedures meet fair trial standards; increase women’s participation and representation, especially in Parliament and the judiciary; guarantee the Roma access to education, health, and housing; ensure equal treatment for Travellers with respect to freedom of movement, the right to vote, and access to education; and combat domestic violence, including through awareness raising and training. Additionally, France was asked to provide information on steps it has taken to: prevent trafficking of persons and to prosecute, convict, and sentence those responsible; streamline the family reunification process for refugees; improve detention conditions and policies, including using the least intrusive methods for body searches; protect the rights of foreign unaccompanied minors; combat incitement to hatred and racist propaganda; and prosecute and convict persons alleged to have committed crimes against humanity, genocide, and war crimes. The Committee also asked France to discuss whether its ban on wearing religious symbols deemed to be “ostentatious” is compatible with the Covenant. In addition, France was asked to explain the restrictions on freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly that were put into place when pro-Palestinian demonstrations were prohibited in July, 2014. [American Al Jazeera] See Human Rights Committee, List of issues in relation to the fifth periodic report of France, CCPR/C/FRA/Q/5, 18 August 2014.
For detailed information on France’s replies to the Committee’s inquiries see France’s report.
Multiple civil society organizations, including Human Rights Watch and Privacy International, submitted reports to the Committee concerning France’s implementation of the ICCPR. Additionally, the Commission nationale consultative des droits de l’homme, the NHRI in France, submitted a supplementary report (available only in French) for the Committee’s consideration.
Macedonia
The Committee asked Macedonia to provide information on measures it has taken to: prohibit discrimination, especially against the Roma community and on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity; investigate and prosecute violence, including sexual and domestic violence and child abuse; improve gender parity, particularly by eliminating the wage gap and integrating women into political or decision-making positions; end the use of solitary confinement against minors in correctional institutions; and improve health, safety, and hygienic conditions in detention facilities. Macedonia was asked to comment on whether the Law on Termination of Pregnancy, which introduces mandatory counseling and waiting periods for women seeking legal abortions, limits access to abortion and whether this law is in accordance with the ICCPR. The Committee also inquired about steps Macedonia had taken to: guarantee the right to a trial without undue delay; combat human trafficking; and introduce safeguards for asylum seekers, including providing access to an effective appeals process. With respect to minorities, especially the Roma community, the Committee asked Macedonia to respond to allegations of ethnic profiling and limits on the freedom of movement across States. See Human Rights Committee, List of issues in relation to the third periodic report of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, CCPR/C/MKD/Q/3, 20 November 2014.
For detailed information on Macedonia’s replies to the Committee’s inquiries see Macedonia’s report.
Seven civil society organizations, including the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights of the Republic of Macedonia and the International Fellowship of Reconciliation, submitted reports to the Committee concerning Macedonia’s implementation of the ICCPR. Additionally, the Ombudsman Republic of Macedonia, the NHRI in Macedonia, submitted a supplementary report for the Committee’s consideration.
Spain
The Committee asked Spain to provide information on measures it has taken to: stop police checks based on racial and ethnic profiling; ensure equal opportunities for men and women in the labor market; guarantee access to abortion and ensure that women are provided with information about contraception; prevent and investigate human rights violations and abuses, including torture, committed by police, and punish perpetrators of this violence; create an independent police oversight body; discontinue the forced sterilization of persons with disabilities; combat violence against women, particularly domestic violence; and prevent and investigate human trafficking violations. Spain was also asked to comment on steps it has taken to: abolish solitary confinement; improve conditions in migrant holding centers, including by providing medical services and reducing overcrowding; protect the rights of unaccompanied children; and combat racial discrimination against immigrants and minorities, particularly the Roma community. The Committee also asked about measures Spain has taken to guarantee the right to a fair trial, especially in criminal proceedings. See Human Rights Committee, List of issues in relation to the sixth periodic report of Spain, CCPR/C/ESP/Q/6, 20 November 2014.
For detailed information on Spain’s replies to the Committee’s inquiries see Spain’s report (only available in Spanish).
Nine civil society organizations, including Amnesty International and Rights International Spain, submitted reports to the Committee concerning Spain’s implementation of the ICCPR.
United Kingdom
The Committee asked the UK to provide information on measures it has taken to: combat racial, ethnic and religious discrimination, especially with respect to Muslims, persons of African descent, Roma communities, and migrants; improve gender parity, particularly in the civil service and the judiciary; ensure that stop, search, and question powers in Northern Ireland are conducted in a way that is consistent with treaty obligations; investigate and prosecute domestic violence, rape, and human trafficking cases; improve detention conditions; and address the continued threat posed by paramilitary organizations in Northern Ireland. The UK was also asked to comment on steps it has taken to conduct independent, impartial, and effective investigations of serious allegations of torture, arbitrary detentions, and enforced disappearances of individuals detained overseas committed by British forces during military interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Committee also asked the UK to discuss the compatibility of their surveillance and data retention polices with the ICCPR and to discuss steps it has taken to limit the amount of time individuals are detained in immigration removal centers as well as to ensure that they are not indefinitely detained. See Human Rights Committee, List of issues in relation to the seventh periodic report of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, CCPR/C/GBR/Q/7, 20 November 2014.
For detailed information on the UK’s replies to the Committee’s inquiries see the UK’s report.
Seventeen civil society organizations, including Minority Rights Group International and REDRESS, submitted reports to the Committee concerning the UK’s implementation of the ICCPR. Additionally, the following NHRIs in the UK submitted a supplementary report for the Committee’s consideration: the Equality and Human Rights Commission (report), Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (report), and Scottish Human Rights Commission (report).
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan was asked to comment on measures it has taken to: adopt comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation, especially to protect the Luli/Roma population and LGBT individuals; improve gender parity, including in the judiciary, legislative, and executive bodies; criminalize domestic violence and marital rape; provide legal safeguards for persons suspected of or charged with terrorism; and ensure independent, impartial, and effective investigations of human rights violations. The Committee also asked Uzbekistan to discuss what steps it has taken to: prevent the forced sterilization of women who have given birth to two or more children; guarantee the rights of human trafficking victims; improve detention conditions, including abolishing the 72-hour pretrial detention policy; and guarantee the full independence and impartiality of the judiciary. The Committee also asked Uzbekistan to respond to issues concerning torture including: its use by law enforcement and others to elicit confessions, including from human rights defenders; the use of evidence obtained through these forced confessions in court, despite the illegality of doing so; and the lack of a mechanism to investigate allegations of torture and ill-treatment. The Committee asked Uzbekistan to provide information on legal safeguards to: protect individuals’ privacy rights; ensure the physical integrity of human rights defenders and journalists; and guarantee the freedom of religious expression, especially with respect to individuals practicing unregistered or minority religions. See Human Rights Committee, List of issues in relation to the fourth periodic report of Uzbekistan, CCPR/C/UZB/Q/4, 21 November 2014.
For detailed information on Uzbekistan’s replies to the Committee’s inquiries see Uzbekistan’s report.
Multiple civil society organizations, including Amnesty International and the International Fellowship of Reconciliation, submitted reports to the Committee concerning Uzbekistan’s implementation of the ICCPR.
Venezuela
The Committee asked Venezuela to provide information on measures it has taken to: prohibit all forms of discrimination; prevent violent crimes, abductions, and disappearances, especially with respect to the LGBT population; investigate and prevent the excessive use of force by law enforcement officers, especially during public protests; ensure the rights of detainees, including by providing regular medical checkups once they are in police custody and guaranteeing the right to legal assistance during questioning; combat institutional corruption, especially within the prison system; and amend the minimum age requirements for marriage (14 years for women and 16 years for men) and sexual consent (12 for girls). Venezuela was asked to comment on the implementation status of several domestic pieces of legislation to address domestic violence, torture, and trafficking: the Act on the Right of Women to a Life Free from Violence of 2007; the Special Act to Prevent and Punish Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, and Degrading Treatment; and the National Action Plan to Repress and Punish Trafficking in Persons. The Committee also asked Venezuela to discuss steps it has taken to: safeguard the independence of the judiciary; guarantee the right to a fair trial; protect the physical integrity of human rights defenders and journalists; and guarantee that licenses for development or exploration in indigenous communities are only given once indigenous peoples have given their prior, free, and informed consent. Venezuela was also asked to provide additional information about amendments to the Code of Criminal Procedure, some of which limit the scope of NGO activities. See Human Rights Committee, List of issues in relation to the fourth periodic report of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, CCPR/C/VEN/Q/4, 20 November 2014
For detailed information on Venezuela’s replies to the Committee’s inquiries see Venezuela’s report.
Multiple civil society organizations, including Amnesty International and World Organisation Against Torture, submitted reports to the Committee concerning Venezuela’s implementation of the ICCPR.
Additional Information
The HRC is one of ten committees of experts established to assess States’ implementation of specific UN human rights treaties. To learn more about the HRC and the other human rights treaty bodies, visit IJRC’s Online Resource Hub.