Minorities body acts on hostage-taking, death penalty, other matters.

Calls for prevention of hostage-taking, protection journalists, abolition of the death penalty for persons under the age of 18, and combating environmental pollution were among the actions taken by the UN Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities (Geneva, 7 August-1 September). Forty-eight resolutions and 11 decisions were adopted at its forty-first session.

A study of problems and causes of discrimination against people infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or people with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) was authorized.

Work continued on a draft declaration on the right to leave and to return to one's home country and on a draft universal declaration on indigenous rights and a draft declaration on enforced or involuntary disappearances. The Sub-Commission recommended that 1993 be designated as the International Year for Indigenous Rights.

The 26-member body, a subsidiary of the Commission on Human Rights, also approved texts with regard to the human rights situations in southern Africa, Israeli-occupied territories, Lebanon, China, East Timor, El Salvador, Guatemala and Iran.

Higgins murder cited

The Sub-Commission condemned hostage-taking and the torture and murder which frequently accompanied such practice, specifically citing the "brutal murder" of Lt.-Col. William R. Higgins of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO). It asked States to bring to trial any who might participate in hostage-taking.

The Sub-Commission called on journalists and other mass media personnel to carry out their mission to expose gross human rights violations and to inform public opinion with maximum neutrality, fairness and objectivity. Governments were asked to provide journalists and mass media personnel with maximum protection of their human rights and support in their endeavours to reveal gross human rights violations.

The Commission on Human Rights was to urge the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to negotiate with the Organization of African Unity (OAU) a global solution to the problem of transboundary movement of hazardous wastes and their disposal.

Debt crisis examined

The Sub-Commission affirmed that any foreign debt strategy must help ensure an adequate growth level for debtor developing countries so their social and economic needs would be met. The economic growth and development of those countries must be revived, it said.

Expressing concern over "recent events in China" and their consequences in the field of human rights, the Sub-Commission asked Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar to transmit to the Human Rights Commission information provided by the Chinese Government and by "other reliable sources". An appeal for clemency was made, particularly for persons deprived of their liberty as a result of those events. The resolution was adopted by a secret vote of 15 to 9.

China said the body's action "brazenly interfered in China's internal affairs"' attempting to "exert pressure on China". It violated the norms governing international relations, and was "illegal and null and void". The Government's purpose in quelling the rebellion was "to safeguard the basic human rights and freedom of the overwhelming majority of the people".

The Sub-Commission expressed its "profound satisfaction" at the changes in Paraguay in the field of human rights. It also expressed its hope that the involuntary resettlement of Hopi and Navajo Indian families would be suspended pending an agreement to resolve the situation.

Other subjects examined included: racial discrimination, minorities and the improvement of economic, social and cultural rights, the right to freedom of opinion and expression, traditional practices affecting the health of women and children, human rights in times of armed conflict, impartiality of the judiciary, the right to a fair trial, rights of detained juveniles, use of force by law enforcement officials, contemporary forms of slavery, sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.

Measures taken in 28 countries to eradicate racial injustice were examined by the 18-member expert Committee that monitors the application of the 1969 International Convention on the Elimination on All Forms of Racial Discrimination by its 128 States parties.

The thirty-seventh session of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (Geneva, 7 August-1 September) scrutinized reports submitted by Algeria, Austria, Burundi, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, Federal Republic of Germany, France, Iceland, the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Maldives, Mexico, Mongolia, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Rwanda, Senegal, Sweden, Tonga and Venezuela.

To widen publicity of its purpose and work, the Committee decided to commemorate its twentieth year on 21 March 1990 in New York, the site of its first meeting. The special session, still pending availability of funds and approval by the General Assembly, is scheduled to coincide with the annual celebration of the Elimination of Racial Discrimination Day and the thirtieth year of the Sharpeville massacre.

Steps taken by Bolivia, Cameroon, Italy and Mauritius to implement provisions of the 1976 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights were examined by the Human Rights Committee at its thirty-sixth session (Geneva, 10-28 July). The watchdog body-set up in 1976-consists of 18 experts serving in a personal capacity. They question high-level representatives of States, after introduction of reports on the human rights situations in their countries.

The Committee's mandate is to ensure compliance by States parties with the Covenant.

In closed meetings, experts reviewed confidential communications from individuals claiming to be victims of human rights violations. The Optional Protocol, accepted by 46 of the Covenant's 87 States parties, opens this channel only to those having grievances involving those 46 countries. The Committee adopted views regarding two cases, and declared three other cases inadmissible.

Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar was asked to inform States parties of the Committee's continuing concern over non-compliance or late compliance with reporting obligations.