HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE CONTINUES DISCUSSION ON REVISED GENERAL COMMENT ON EQUALITY BEFORE COURTS

The Human Rights Committee this morning continued its deliberations on a revised General Comment on article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights on the right to a fair trial and equality before the courts This discussion followed an earlier one held during the current session, and focused on a document proposed by Committee Member Walter Kälin.

The revised General Comment (CCPR/C/83/CRP.4), when adopted, will replace General Comment XIII, adopted at the twenty-first session, reflecting and further developing it. It notes that the right to a fair trial and equality before courts is one of the key elements of human rights protection, and serves to safeguard the rule of law procedurally. Article 14 of the Covenant aims at ensuring the proper administration of justice, and to this end guarantees a series of specific rights such as equality before the courts and tribunals, and the right to a fair and public hearing by a competent, independent and impartial tribunal established by law.

The Committee debated the General Comment on a paragraph-by-paragraph basis, continuing where it had left off during the previous meeting on the topic, from the beginning of paragraph 6 of the proposed comment. As the debate did not cover all remaining paragraphs, the Committee will resume the debate at its next session.

The next public session of the Committee will be on Thursday, 28 July at 3 p.m. when it will adopt the Committee’s Annual Report to the General Assembly.

For use of the information media; not an official record

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