NATIONS UNIES UNITED NATIONS
SER VICE DE L'INFORMA TION - OFFICE DES NA TIONS UNIES A GENEVE
INFORMA TION SER VICE - UNITED NA TIONS OFFICE A T GENEVA
0Ui'll) U'P OF SEdSIGi -J Press R 1t 3S' ,) iifl/966
12 Sapte ber 1980
HUhi N EIGHTS sL : COi - - ISSION concLuD .:S T iIRTY Ti ; IRL DI0N AT GENF:.VA
Decisions adopted Covered among others Jerusalem, Apartheid as a Collective
Form of Slavery 9 Detention on Grounds of' Hental I11 Heaith,
] nforced Disappearance of Persons arid the Liberatioi of American Detainees in Iran
The United Nations Sub- Commis sion on the Prevention of Discrimination and
Protection of f1lnorit.iCs concluded today Friday, 12 September? at the Palais des
Nations, Geneva, a four weck session with the adoption of its report to its
parent body, the Commission on Human Righhs
TI--ic- 26 -mcniber expert body considorad durir this session a 17 point agenda
which included two new items, namely The individual s duties to the community
and the limitations on hunran ri; , -hts and freedoms under article 29 of the
Universal Declaration of Human iDhts” (item U), and the work of the “sessional
Working Group on the encour' ;ement of universal acceptance of human ri 'l itS
instrumunth ” (item 1i4)
The Sub= CommisSiofl ;ndorsc'd the reco :ercndatioh of the Working Group
concerninG i p r'theid as a collCct- ,ive form of slavery and- - ‘eoommcndc that the
Commission on Hunan .Hi ::hts should envisage ca].lin . for mandatory sanctions
against South Africa
It reaffirmed the pr ne plc of' inadnrissibilitY of the acquisition of'
territory by force and strongly disapproved of and regretted the refusal of
Israel to implement the Cnit.ed Nations resolution concerning the Holy City of
Jerusalem
The Sub CoramiSS1Ofl, aware thst trie General Assembly has proclaimed 1 i1 as
the International Year for Disabled Persons, decided to entrust one of its members,
i-irs Erica 4rOne DAi S (expert from Greece) with the task of elaborating guidelines
related to procedur s for determining whDths'r adequate rounds exist for.
detaininj ' -. crsons bdcausc of' mental ill '-healtii
(acre)
Les communiqués sont destinés a l'information; us ne constituent pas des documents officiels
For use of information media; not an official record . --
BP00043 5 •1
Press Release iR/9G6
Page 2
The attention of governments, in particular Iran, Italy, Spain, Jest
halaysia, Thailand and Guatemala, was called to what appeared to the 3ub
Commission as violations of human riahts in those countrles .
Following its consideration of L1 e question of human ri hts of persons
subjected to any form of detention or imprisonment, the •ub Cor mission emphasized
the extreme gravity of enforced or involuntary disappearances of persons and
urged the Seeretary.. General to continue to exercise his good offices in those
cases paying particular attention to urgent cases where action is necessary to
preserve life or integrity of mdiv duals 0
Concerning its own role in promoting measures to combat racism and racial.
discrimination, the Sub —Commission asked one of its members, Justice Abu Sayeed
CHOWDHURY (expert from Dan&iadesh) to prepare an acticn oriented report on
discriminatory treatment of minorities in the administratidn of Justice. In
carrying out this assignment, ho is to pay particular attention to methods of
action for coi battir Jiscri ir ticu in the o u istrction of crimii l justice.
The Sub—COmmission recomim nded the creation of an information gathering
service within the niteo ations L)iv1 io '1 of Human Ri ,hts reflectir th
situation in different countries and systems
During the last day of the session, the gub —Cornmission called for the
release of the United States citizens held in Iran since November 1979; requested
Nrs . halima i ARZAZI (expert from Morocco) to make an analysis of reliable
information on violations of human r1 1 ::hts in Bolivia; and recommended to the
Commission on {unian Rights that; it should keen the situataon of human riahts in
Kampuchea under continuing review and to this end, to consider inviting the
&cretary—General to designate- a special repr'esentative to assist in restoring
full respect for human riahts and funclarfiental freedoms as speedily as possible
in that country.
The Sub Comn ission also devoted six private meetings to consider communica-
tions which appear to reveal a consistent and reliably attested to: pàtterh of
gross violations of human ridhts, These communications were brought before it
by its Working GrouD , topetner witi the replies of governments, if any.
Details of these and other decisions fOliøW .
h'easures to Gombat Racism end Role of gub Commission
Under its agenda item 4: feasures to combat racism and racial discrimina
t.ion and the role of the Suh Commission ', two resolutions were adopted.
Under the first resolution (e/C . 14 /gub .2/C .73q) , the Sub—Commission
recommencied to the Commission on Human Rignts tn.t it should make the followin
recommendations to the economic and gocial Council I
— to consider the proposal of setting up a Human Hi hts Assistance Fund
to r olu countries to achieve at least minimum standards of human rights laid down
in the international instruments on human rights in a practical and purposeful
manner on an urgent basis;
(more)
Press Release hiR/966
ir
Rights of Persons Belonhinp to thnic, fleli ioua and Linguistic Kinorities
Under its aj enda it e : ‘ PiChts of persons balo ir to ethnic,
religious and 1 in uist1c rninbrit ee .ha L ub Conrn sion adopt d by 12 votes
to none against. and six abstentions draft ‘esolution EICP / ub 2/L 7 9 by
which it:
expressed its profoun1 donc rn for the safety of the recently arrested
members of the elected 1i tional i' tha st.rative Codncil cf the haha is of Iran,
nd that of all nidr bc s of this co;;imunity, both as indiviouals id collectivel ;
requested the Secretary Gen.rei te. trensnit this ccjncdrxi to ti ;
Uov rnr ierit of th Islamic i eoublic o Iran, and to inv1td het Govsrnmciit to
express 1t co itrueht to the u r.ante s provii in tha dbove cntion .ad
International Covenant on Civil and Political Riai ta, r tifie.i by that; 2 ato ,
by grantiri . full protectaon of fundanental rights dad f'rL ions tp the :Uaha 1
religious community in Iran, and by protoctin ..: the life and liberty at tb::
inembersof tl t: i community
Under the samc a ;cndn item, the dub ccmmission adopted a resolution
cotisistin of an ial a t1)r 1 of urcft resDiutlons h/C 4/ ub 2/L 7Lu cid
E/Cd 1 4/Sub 2JL 763. Under the resoldtibn as ai: anded, the 3ubLOom iiission
expressed its hone that the t dy ôf h problai of dise imination
a in t enous ropulatlcrs til] hL. CO let rt -s i 'tter of ur ency, in t1fl L
for consideration by thd ub Commissiqn at its thirt -fourth . session;
aCO1c e.i o this nd to requ st thL Cccretery Gene 'al to provid€ all
possible assistanc to the hpecial R.norteur so. as. to facilitate his work
(moe)
Press Release HR/966
page 16
Other issues
The Sub—Commission considered at its thirty—third session numerous
alle at1on3 wh' ch me rcveal ticii atior s o violrt:o7ib but which the
Sub—Cbmmission wishes to vcrify b r independent fact—finding before 1er 1eging them
to th' attention of the Commission To that effect it adopted resolution
E/ClT/Sub 2/L 749 under which it rocuesteci the Commission on Human Rights, at
its thirty—seventh session 7 to authorize the Chairman elected. by the
Sub—Cbmmission at its thirty—third. session, in consultation with the Vice—Chairman
and Rapport ewe then elect c c i and with the Secretary—General, and with the consent
of th governmental authorities concerned., to make arrangements for one or more
of the members of the Sub—Commission elected •by the Commission on Human Rights at
its thirty—seventh session to visit any countries with a view to examining
firs± -hai ci, and reporting t the C --Co n.seio . its thirty—fourth session, upon
the human rights problems in such countries which were the subject of discussions
at th Sub Commission's thirty—third session, together with any other human
right problems of comparable maguitude which may come to the attention of such
membe± or members during their exaruination 0
The Sub—Commission decided under resolution :/cN 0 4/sub 2/Lo73 to mandate
Nr Ahmed. IOaalifa (expert from Jgypi) to continue to update, subjOct to annual
review, the list of banks, ±ransna-tional corporations and. other organizations
assisting the racist regimes in southern Africa' and. to submit ‘the updated
report through the Sub—Oommission to the Commission on Human Rights. The Special
liapporteur is to use all available material from other United Nations organs,
Membei States, specialized agencies and other intergovernmental organizations,
non—g vernmental organizations and. such other sources as publication,s media 7 in
ord.er to demonstrate clearly the volume and. nature of the assistance g±ven to
the racist regimes in southern African
The Sub—Commission also decided to consider in the future as a separate item
of its agenda the tonic entitled. ‘adverse consequences for the enjo nneni of human
right of political, military, economic and other forms of assistance given to the
colonial and. rccist regimes ‘in souther:. Africa
The Secretary—General is rec ested to give the Special Rapporteur all the
assistance that he may require in the exercise of his mandate, including the
neces ary resources to pay for pertinent services solicited. from various agencies.
“During its review of develorments in the field. of its work, the
SuiD—C mmission also took the foll wine decisions:
It nominated. five boro to o nst tr.te sossional Working Group on the
encou agement of the universal acceptance of human rights instruments, These
five members are: L ,i.l , Singhvi (c::peri from India) who will serve as Chairman/
Rapporteur of the Working Group; John Carey (expert from the United Stat s of
Ameri a) Ilaul ferraro (expert from Peru); Ibrahim Jimeta (expert from Nigeria);
and ILç , Sofinshy (ewpert from the Soviet Union),
The Sub—Commission also appointed Mario Amad.eao (expert from Argentina) to
serve as Chairman/Rapior-teur of the open—ended wori:ing group on minorities which is
to examine the revised. draft declaration (f/C 4/Sub ,2/L 0 734) on the rights of
persons belonging to ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities , as elaborated.
by a 1Iorking Group of the Commission on Human Rights 0 The Sub—Commission is to
submit its views on this revised. draft declaration to the 1981 session of thc
Commission on Human Rights.
(more)
