Noting with concern the delay in the publication of the report of the Special Rapporteur[1]and the report of the Expert on the Question of the Fate of Missing and Disappeared Persons in Chile,[2]
Noting that both reports in their conclusions clearly indicate that generally the situation of human rights has not improved, and in a number of areas has even deteriorated, compared with that described in the last report of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Situation of Human Rights in Chile,[3]
Deeply concerned about recent reports regarding the discovery in the main cemetery of Santiago de Chile of hundreds of unmarked graves believed to contain the remains of victims of political executions, and expressing the hope that the judicial investigation initiated to determine the origins of those graves will be carried out without hindrance,
Noting with particular concern that the Chilean authorities have failed to take urgent and effective measures, as requested by the General Assembly in resolution 33/175, to investigate and clarify the fate of persons reported to have disappeared for political reasons,
Drawing the attention of the Commission on Human Rights to the recommendations contained in the report of the Expert on the Question of the Fate of Missing and Disappeared Persons in Chile [4] when pursuing the question of disappeared persons, as requested by the General Assembly in resolution 33/173 of 20 December 1978, and when considering resolution 5 B (XXXII) of 5 September 1979[5] of the Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities,
1. Commends the Special Rapporteur and the Expert on the Question of the Fate of Missing and Disappeared Persons in Chile for their work;
2. Requests the Commission on Human Rights at its thirty-sixth session thoroughly to study the report of Special Rapporteur and the report of the Expert on the Question of the Fate of Missing and Disappeared Persons in Chile;
3. Reiterates its indignation at the continued violation of human rights in Chile and concludes that it should continue to exercise vigilance with regard to the situation of human rights in that country;
4. Expresses its grave concern that there has been a deterioration in a number of areas, notably in relation to:
(a) An increase in the arbitrary powers of security agencies;
(b) Cases of torture, ill-treatment and unexplained deaths;
(c) Freedom of assembly and association;
(d) Trade union rights;
(e) The presumption of innocence of accused persons;
(f) The treatment of indigenous people;
5. Strongly urges the Chilean authorities to respect and promote human rights in accordance with the obligations Chile has undertaken under various international instruments and, in particular:
(a) To cease the state of emergency, under which continued violations of human rights occur, and to restore the democratic institutions and constitutional safeguards formerly enjoyed by the Chilean people;
(b) To ensure an immediate end to torture and other forms of inhuman or degrading treatment and to prosecute and punish those responsible for such practices;
(c) To restore fully the freedom of expression and information and of assembly and association;
(d) To restore fully trade union rights, especially as regards the freedom to form trade unions which can operate freely without government control and exercise fully the right to strike;
(e) To allow their citizens freely to enter and leave the country, and to restore Chilean nationality to those who have been deprived of it for political reasons;
(f) To restore fully the right of amparo (habeas corpus);
(g) To respect the rights, in particular the economic, social and cultural rights, of the indigenous population;
(h) To adopt measures to improve the enjoyment of economic and social rights by the population at large;
6. Expresses its deep concern, although noting that no persons are reported to have disappeared in Chile during 1978 and 1979, that the disappearance between September 1973 and the end of 1977 of numerous persons, whose whereabouts are still unknown, represents a continuous situation of gross and flagrant violations of human rights;
7. Urges the Chilean authorities to investigate and clarify the fate of persons reported to have disappeared for political reasons, to inform relatives of the outcome and to institute criminal proceedings against those responsible for such disappearances and punish those found guilty;
8. Invites the Commission on Human Rights to continue to give close attention to the situation in Chile and, to this end:
(a) To extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Chile, in accordance with paragraph 6 of Commission resolution 11 (XXXV);
(b) To consider further at its thirty-sixth session the the most effective ways of clarifying the whereabouts and fate of missing and disappeared persons in Chile, taking into account the contents of the report of the Expert on the Question of the Fate of Missing and Disappeared Persons in Chile;
9. Further urges the Chilean authorities to cooperate with the Special Rapporteur and the Expert on Persons in Chile;
10. Requests the Commission on Human Rights to report on the subject, through the Economic and Social Council, to the General Assembly at its thirty-fifth session.
17 December 1979
34/180. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
The General Assembly,
Considering that one of the purposes of the United Nations, as stated in Articles 1 and 55 of the Charter, is to promote universal respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms without distinction of any kind, including any distinction as to sex,
Recalling the proclamation by the General Assembly, in its resolution 2263 (XXII) of 7 November 1967, of
