Nigeria faces criticism after execution of writer: follow-up to Vienna conference a priority.

The arbitrary execution in Nigeria on 10 November of writer Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight others was condemned by the fiftieth General Assembly, which in other action urged the Government of Myanmar to engage in a dialogue with Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and other political leaders as the best means of promoting national reconciliation and restoring democracy. The Assembly also expressed the hope that the recent violence in Haiti would not impede the consolidation of democracy, as well as outrage at human rights violations in the former Yugoslavia.

With a broad human rights mandate, the Assembly also acted on the rights of children, indigenous peoples, racism and discrimination, self-determination, follow-up to the 1993 Vienna World Conference on Human Rights, and situations in individual countries. In all, it adopted 46 resolutions on human rights matters, based on the recommendations of its Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural).

UN joins international protest

A concerned General Assembly, in a resolution (50/199) adopted by a vote of 101 to 14, with 47 abstentions, "condemned the arbitrary execution, after a flawed judicial process, of Ken Saro-Wiwa and his eight co-defendants" in Nigeria. Joining an international chorus of protest, it also expressed "deep concern about other violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms" in the country, and called on the Government to restore habeas corpus, release all political prisoners, guarantee freedom of the press and ensure the rights of all individuals. Immediate, concrete steps to restore democratic rule should be taken, it stated, in welcoming measures taken by the Commonwealth and other States to underline to Nigeria the importance of a return to democratic rule and human rights observance. Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, in cooperation with the Commonwealth, will undertake discussions with Nigeria and report back to the Assembly.

In Third Committee debate, States opposing the draft--most of them African--and some of those abstaining considered it had crossed the line between concern for human rights and interference in a State's internal affairs. Nigeria asserted that the nine had been executed only after due process had been observed. On 10 November, Mr. Boutros-Ghali, saying he was "shocked and appalled to learn of the executions by hanging of the nine Nigerian minority-rights activists, including the writer Ken Saro-Wiwa", urged the Government "to fully respect the rights of minorities". The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Jose Ayala Lasso, made an urgent appeal on 9 November to the Head of State of Nigeria asking for clemency after the death sentences were imposed. Mr. Saro-Wiwa was a prominent political leader of the minority Ogoni people.

In "welcoming the release without conditions" on 10 July 1995 of Aung San Suu Kyi and a number of other opposition leaders in Myanmar, the Assembly, in adopting without a vote resolution 50/194, urged the Government to immediately release all political leaders and prisoners, engage in a dialogue with those leaders, and take steps towards restoring democracy in accordance with the 1990 democratic elections.

The rape and abuse of women and children in the areas of armed conflict in the former Yugoslavia constituted "a war crime", according to the Assembly, which condemned (50/192) the "abhorrent practice", expressing outrage that it had been used as a weapon of war and an instrument of ethnic cleansing in Bosnia and Herzegovina. While welcoming the General Framework Agreement for Peace, initialled at Dayton, Ohio, on 21 November, the Assembly stressed (50/193) its dismay at the "huge number" of missing persons still unaccounted for. The leadership in territories under the control of Serbs in Bosnia and formerly Serb-held areas of Croatia, the commanders of Serb paramilitary forces and political and military leaders in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) bore primary responsibility for most of the violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, the Assembly declared.

It also adopted, without votes, resolutions on Afghanistan, Haiti and Rwanda. Recorded votes were taken on the human rights situations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro), Kosovo, Cuba, Iraq, Iran and Sudan.

Self-determination, democratization, terrorism

Pointing to the menace that mercenaries posed to peace in developing countries, particularly in Africa and in small States, where democratically-elected Governments had only recently been overthrown or threatened by their activities, the Assembly urged (50/138) national legislation to ensure that territories and nationals were not used for the planning of activities designed to destabilize or overthrow another Government.

"Deeply concerned at the continuation of acts or threats of foreign military intervention and occupation that are threatening to suppress, or have already suppressed, the right to self-determination of an increasing number of sovereign peoples and nations", the Assembly called on (50/139) States responsible to stop such intervention or occupation. Millions of refugees and displaced persons had been uprooted as a result of such acts, it added.

Acting on respect for the principles of national sovereignty and non-interference in the internal affairs of States in their electoral processes, the Assembly strongly appealed (50/172) to all States to refrain from financing or providing any form of overt or covert support for political parties or groups and from taking actions to undermine the electoral process in any country.

It commended (50/185) the steps taken by the UN to ensure the continuation and consolidation of the democratization process in certain Member States, and recommended the provision of post-election assistance to requesting States and electoral institutions.

An increasing number of innocent persons, including women, children and the elderly, were being "killed, massacred and maimed by terrorists in indiscriminate and random acts of violence and terror, which cannot be justified under any circumstances", the Assembly said, in asking (50/186) the Secretary-General to continue his efforts to establish a UN voluntary fund for victims of terrorism, as well as to explore ways to rehabilitate them.

Children

In only the second session where child rights were considered as a separate issue, the fiftieth General Assembly, in a six-part resolution (50/153), requested "appropriate measures" by Member States and UN agencies to facilitate humanitarian assistance and relief to children in situations of armed conflict. Work on the elaboration of a draft optional protocol to the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child related to the involvement of children in armed conflicts should also proceed. Measures to eliminate all extreme forms of child labour, such as forced labour, bonded labour and other forms of slavery, and to prevent the killing of street children and to combat torture and violence against them were urged.

Noting that the violation of the rights of the girl child had been identified as a critical concern in the Beijing Platform for Action of the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women, the Assembly called (50/154) on the international community to take into account the rights and needs of the girl child and to eliminate negative cultural attitudes and practices against her.

Racism, indigenous peoples

Racism, racial discrimination and xenophobia continued to persist and "grow in magnitude, incessantly adopting new forms, including tendencies to establish policies based on racial, religious, ethnic, cultural and national superiority or exclusivity", stressed the Assembly (50/135), which asked (50/136) the international community to give "highest priority" to programmes for combating racism and racial discrimination and intensify their efforts, during the Third Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003), to provide assistance to victims.

It also decided (50/156) that the UN Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Populations should be "used to assist representatives of indigenous communities and organizations to participate in the deliberations" of the open-ended inter-sessional working group of the Commission on Human Rights, as well as in the deliberations of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations. A Programme of activities was approved (50/157) for the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People (1994-2004), affirming as its major objective the adoption of a declaration on their rights.

Follow-up to Vienna, other action

In an annual review of the 1993 Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, the Assembly called on (50/201) States to take further action to achieve full realization of human rights in the light of the recommendations of the World Conference on Human Rights. After considering the report of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (A/50/36), the Assembly said the international community should "devise ways and means to remove current obstacles and meet the challenges to the full realization of all human rights and to prevent the continuation of human rights violations resulting therefrom throughout the world". It welcomed the work of the High Commissioner, and requested him and other organs and bodies of the UN system that consider human rights issues to take further action, with a view to the full implementation of all the recommendations of the Conference.

In his report, Mr. Ayala Lasso said prevention was central to combating human rights violations, especially as the world saw "years of development efforts destroyed overnight by out-breaks of serious violations and the generation of refugees, internally displaced persons and mass exoduses". Success in the future, he stressed, would depend on international support and cooperation, as well as adequate human and financial resources.

In other action, the Assembly:

* expressed the hope that the Palestinian people could "soon be exercising their right to self-determination in the current peace process" (50/140);

* urged States, in light of "the growing frequency and severity" of disputes and conflicts concerning minorities, to take "all the necessary constitutional, legislative, administrative and other measures to promote and give effect to the principles" contained in the 1992 Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities (50/180);

* asked the Secretary-General "to consider favourably" requests for assistance in the field of administration of justice, stating this was "indispensable to democratization processes and sustainable development" (50/181);

* adopted the amendment of the Conference of the States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, enlarging the membership of the Committee on the Rights of the Child from 10 to 18 experts (50/155). (To enter into force, the amendment must also be approved by two thirds of the States parties.);

* asked that high priority be accorded to Member States' requests for assistance in establishing and strengthening national human rights institutions as part of the programme of human rights advisory services and technical assistance (50/176); and

* urged States to combat hatred, intolerance and acts of violence, intimidation and coercion motivated by religious extremism and intolerance of religion or belief (50/183).