Situation of human rights in Cambodia

Requests the Secretary-General, through his Special Representative for human Rights in Cambodia, in collaboration with the office in Cambodia of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, to assist the Government of Cambodia in ensuring the protection of the human rights of all people in Cambodia, to ensure adequate resources for the enhanced functioning of the operational presence in Cambodia of the Office of the High Commissioner and to enable the Special Representative to continue to fulfil his tasks expeditiously; expresses grave concern about numerous instances of violations of human rights, including extrajudicial executions, torture, rape, illegal arrest and detention, as detailed in the reports of the Special Representative and his predecessor, and calls upon the Government of Cambodia to prosecute, in accordance with due process of the law and international standards relating to human rights, all those who have perpetrated human rights violations; also expresses grave concern about the serious violations of human rights committed during the armed violence of early July 1997 and in its aftermath, and urges the Government of Cambodia as a high priority to investigate thoroughly and impartially and to bring to justice those responsible for such serious crimes; strongly urges the Government of Cambodia to address the problem of corrupt practices within the judicial system and in the prison administration and to increase its efforts to create a functioning and impartial system of justice, including convening the Supreme Council of Magistracy, to institute a system to guarantee the essential sustenance of prisoners and to continue its efforts to improve the physical environment of prisons; notes that national elections are scheduled to be held in May 1998, and strongly urges the Government of Cambodia to promote and uphold the effective functioning of multi-party democracy

Adopted without vote, 70th meeting

5 p.

Adopted at the 70th plenary meeting, 12 Dec. 1997.