Situation of human rights in Iraq.
| Publisher | UN Commission on Human Rights |
| Author | UN Commission on Human Rights (47th sess. : 1991 : Geneva) |
| Publication Date | 6 March 1991 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | E/CN.4/RES/1991/74 |
| Reference | 47 |
| Cite as | UN Commission on Human Rights, Situation of human rights in Iraq., 6 March 1991, E/CN.4/RES/1991/74, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3b00f0ce8.html [accessed 23 October 2022] |
1991/74. Situation of human rights in Iraq
The Commission on Human Rights, Guided by the principles embodied in the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenants on Human Rights, Reaffirming that all Member States have an obligation to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms and to fulfil the obligations they have undertaken under the various international instruments in this field, Mindful that Iraq is a party to the International Covenants on Human Rights, Concerned by reliable reports of enforced or involuntary disappearances, mass extrajudicial executions, torture and arbitrary detention by the Government of Iraq, especially as reflected in the report of the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (E/CN.4/1991/20, paras. 217-236) and the report of the Special Rapporteur on summary or arbitrary executions (E/CN.4/1991/36, paras. 269-289), Concerned especially by the fact that chemical weapons have been used on the Kurdish civilian population, by the forced displacement of hundreds of thousands of Kurds and the destruction of Kurdish towns and villages, as well as by the situation of tens of thousands of displaced Kurds living in camps in the north of Iraq, and by the deportation of thousands of Kurdish families, Concerned moreover by the denial of human rights and fundamental freedoms, including freedom of expression and of the press, by the Government of Iraq, Considering Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities resolution 1990/13 of 30 August 1990, in which the Sub-Commission recommended that the Commission appoint a special rapporteur with the mandate to examine the human rights situation in Iraq,1. Expresses grave concern at the flagrant violations of human rights by the Government of Iraq;
2. Urges the Government of Iraq to ensure full respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms and, in particular:
(a) To halt the arbitrary and summary executions as well as the arbitrary detention of political and religious opponents;
(b) To put an end to the practices of enforced or involuntary disappearances and the practice of torture;
(c) To guarantee full respect for human rights of all persons in Iraq irrespective of their origin, halt deportation of Iraqi citizens and allow the deported persons to return to their villages of origin and receive reparation for the damage suffered as a result of their forced displacement;
3. Calls upon the Government of Iraq to abide by its obligations under the International Covenants on Human Rights;
4. Urges the Government of Iraq to cooperate with the Commission on Human Rights and, in particular, to help clarify the pending cases of enforced or involuntary disappearances noted in the report of the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances and to communicate to the Commission any new measures the Government of Iraq may take in the field of human rights;
5. Requests its Chairman, after consultation with the Bureau, to appoint an individual of recognized international standing in the field of human rights as special rapporteur of the Commission whose mandate will be to make a thorough study of the violations of human rights by the Government of Iraq, based on all information the special rapporteur may deem relevant, including information provided by intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations and any comments and material provided by the Government of Iraq, and submit an interim report thereon to the General Assembly at its forty-sixth session and a report to the Commission at its forty-eighth session;
6. Urges the Government of Iraq to afford all necessary cooperation to the Special Rapporteur of the Commission;
7. Requests the Secretary-General to give all necessary assistance to the Special Rapporteur of the Commission;
8. Decides to continue its consideration of the situation of human rights in Iraq under the present agenda item at its forty-eighth session.
54th meeting6 March 1991
[Adopted by a roll-call vote of 30 to 1, with
10 abstentions. See chap. XII.]
