E/CN.4/1999/61
page 6
9.
He agreed to serve on a panel on torture established by the Organization
for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE,) participating in June and
October meetings of the panel and, on the latter occasion, also addressing a
plenary session of the OSCE Review Meeting on Implementation of Basket 3 of
the Helsinki Final Act, dedicated specifically to the question of torture.
10.
On 5 October 1998, he addressed an international meeting of centres for
the rehabilitation of victims of torture in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He also
spoke at several events convened to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, including an international
conference on the origins of the Declaration convened by the French National
Consultative Commission on Human Rights from 14 to 16 September, a meeting
organized by Amnesty International UK and Liberty on 16 October 1998 and an
international conference organized by the University of Utrecht from 10 to
12 December.
III.
INFORMATION REVIEWED BY THE SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR
WITH RESPECT TO VARIOUS COUNTRIES
11.
During the period under review, the Special Rapporteur sent 64 letters
to 59 countries on behalf of 400 individuals and 10 groups involving about
250 persons. About 80 were known to be women and about 40 were known to be
minors. The Special Rapporteur also sent 39 letters reminding Governments of
a number of cases that had been transmitted in previous years. Together with
individual cases the Special Rapporteur also transmitted to Governments
27 allegations of a more general nature. The Special Rapporteur transmitted
122 urgent appeals to 41 Governments on behalf of 380 individuals (about 30 of
whom were known to be women and 30 were known to be minors) and 20 groups
(including one group of 190 women) involving about 1,500 persons with regard
to whom fears that they might be subjected to torture and other forms of
ill-treatment had been expressed. In addition, 35 Governments provided the
Special Rapporteur with replies on 450 cases submitted during the year under
review, whereas 17 did so with respect to some 300 cases submitted in previous
years.
12.
This chapter contains, on a country-by-country basis, summaries of the
general allegations and individual cases, as well as of the urgent appeals,
transmitted to Governments, and their replies. Observations by the Special
Rapporteur have also been included where applicable. Owing to a lack of
resources, the Special Rapporteur was not able to send follow-up comments to
reports and recommendations made after previous years’ visits to countries.
He was also not able to include in the current report replies sent by
Governments in Spanish. The latter will be included in the report to the next
session of the Commission on Human Rights.
Albania
Regular communications and replies received
13.
By letter dated 3 September 1998, the Special Rapporteur informed the
Government that he had received information concerning the way a number of
opposition, in particular Socialist Party (SP), supporters had been treated.
A number of the cases summarized below are related to the demonstrations which