Media Advisory

EMBARGOED UNTIL 00:01 GMT 13 JUNE 2001

AI Index AMR 27/006/2001 - News Service Nr. 98

Dominican Republic: UN Human Rights Committee's recommendations must be implemented

Following the publication of the United Nations Human Rights Committee's recommendations to the Dominican Republic, Amnesty International is publishing today a report outlining its human rights concerns in the country.

"Complying with the Committee's recommendations would mark a crucially important step towards ensuring full respect for human rights in the country," Amnesty International said, urging the Dominican authorities to publicly commit themselves to doing so and to adopt concrete measures to this end.

Amnesty International's areas of concern -- which were also highlighted by the Committee -- include:

Illegal killings by security forces and the widespread impunity enjoyed by those responsible;

Serious allegations of widespread cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment of detainees;

The deterioration of prison conditions, resulting from extreme overcrowding and the lack of a specialized corps of prison guards;

The increasing number of people in prolonged pre-trial detention;

The existence of a separate judicial system for the police, which is incompatible with the principle of equality before the law;

The treatment of Haitians and suspected Haitians, including frequent reports of mass deportations and of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.

Background

On 23 March 2001, the UN Human Rights Committee examined the Dominican Republic's fourth periodic report on compliance with the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Noting that previous recommendations have not been acted on, the Committee required the Dominican Republic to submit within a year a report on the measures taken to comply with the recommendations regarding illegal killings by security forces, torture and excessive use of force, pre-trial detention, prisons and the situation of Haitians in the country.

The report will be accessible on the web at:

http://www.web.amnesty.org/ai.nsf/index/amr27032001 .

\ENDS

public document

****************************************

For more information, to order a copy of the report or to arrange an interview, please call Amnesty International's press office in London, UK, on +44 20 7413 5562 -- Amnesty International, 1 Easton St., London WC1X 0DW web : http://www.amnesty.org