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page 4
7.
This year, the Special Rapporteur inquired whether the Government of Georgia would
consider the possibility of inviting him to undertake a mission to the country. The Special
Rapporteur appreciated the June 2001 invitation from the Minister of Justice and Human Rights
and the Vice-Minister for Human Rights of Bolivia to visit their country. He regrets that other
activities concerning his mandate did not allow him to undertake such a mission during his
tenure.
8.
The Special Rapporteur’s requests to visit India (1993), Indonesia (1993), Egypt (1996),
Algeria (1997), Tunisia (1998), Bahrain (1998) and Uzbekistan (2000 - joint request with the
Chairman-Rapporteur of the Working Group on arbitrary detention) have not resulted in
invitations.
9.
On 15 and 16 February 2001, the Special Rapporteur addressed the open-ended
working group on a draft optional protocol to the Convention against Torture of the Commission.
From 18 to 22 June, he attended the annual meeting of the special rapporteurs/representatives.
experts and chairpersons of working groups of the special procedures of the Commission.
On 10 and 11 November, he participated in the Expert Seminar on the Definition of Torture
organized by the Association for the Prevention of Torture in Geneva.
III. INFORMATION REVIEWED BY THE SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR
WITH RESPECT TO VARIOUS COUNTRIES
10.
During the period under review, the Special Rapporteur sent 114 letters to 73 countries
on behalf of about 1,990 individuals and 33 groups involving about 6,000 persons, about 315 of
whom were known to be women and 590 known to be minors. Together with individual cases,
the Special Rapporteur also transmitted to Governments 22 allegations of a more general nature.
The Special Rapporteur also sent 32 letters reminding the Governments of the following
countries of a number of cases that had been transmitted in previous years: Armenia (1997),
Cameroon (1998), Chad (1997 and 1999), China (1998), Côte d’Ivoire (1997), Djibouti (1999),
Ecuador (1999), El Salvador (1996), Equatorial Guinea (1998), Eritrea (1999), Ethiopia
(1997 and 1999), Haiti (1997 and 1999), Honduras (1998), India (1997, 1998 and 1999)
Indonesia (1998 and 1999), Jamaica (1998), Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (1998), Malaysia (1999),
Mali (1999), Morocco (1996), Myanmar (1996, 1997 and 1998), Nepal (1997, 1998 and 1999),
Niger (1997), Nigeria (1998), Pakistan (1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999), Paraguay (1996),
Peru (1998 and 1999), Philippines (1998), Russian Federation (1999), Uzbekistan (1996
and 1998), Venezuela (1997 and 1998) and Zimbabwe (1999), as well as the Palestinian
Authority (1999). In addition, the Special Rapporteur sent 15 letters reminding Governments
of a number of cases transmitted in 2000 with respect to which no reply had been received.
The Special Rapporteur sent 186 urgent appeals to 58 Governments on behalf of about 581
individuals (of whom about 147 were known to be women and 12 to be minors) and 13 groups
involving about 1,500 persons (of whom some 500 were known to be minors) with regard to
whom fears that they might be subjected to torture and other forms of ill-treatment had been
expressed. Thirty-seven Governments provided the Special Rapporteur with replies on
some 800 cases submitted during the year under review, whereas 37 did so with respect to
cases submitted in previous years.