INTRODUCTION / WORK WITH INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
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AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL REPORT 1991
WORK WITH INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
The United Nations (UN)
There were some encouraging advances in the development of new international standards for the protection of human rights during the year, in particular the adoption by the Eighth UN Crime Congress of new standards imposing strict limi- tations on the permissible use of force and firearms by law enforcement officials. However, in some areas the UN did not take adequate measures to ensure full implementation of the existing norms and standards established by its member states. This was particularly evident in the UN's response to serious human rights violations in certain countries, about which some member states continued to be reluctant to take firm action except in the context of other political developments which attract international censure. The most striking example of this during 1990 was the case of Iraq, in respect of which a pattern of grave and widespread human rights violations has been repeatedly drawn to the UN's attention by Amnesty International in recent years.
Once again no action was taken on a draft decision on Iraq at the 46th session of the UN Commission on Human Rights ("the Commission") in February. However, with international attention focused on Iraq following its invasion of Kuwait on 2 August, its human rights record did then come under greater scrut- iny. Following this the UN Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities ("the Sub-Commission") adopted a resolution on Iraq at its 42nd session in August calling on the Commission to take stronger action at its 1991 session to investigate the human rights situation there. Later in the year, on 18 December the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 45/170 condemn- ing human rights violations by the Iraqi authorities in occupied Kuwait. It called on Iraq to adhere to principles of international law and asked the Commission to consider the human rights situation in occupied Kuwait at its next session. Amnesty International had continued to raise its concerns about human rights violations by the Iraqi Government during all these discussions in different UN bodies. In addition, in December the organization made available its report on human rights violations by Iraqi forces in occupied Kuwait to the UN Security Council which had, in its Resolution 674(1990), invited all states to collate information on such violations and make it available to the Security Council.
The Commission's failure in February to take action on a decision concerning Iraq was all the more disappointing since the text was very moderate; it simply attempted to formalize within the UN framework Iraq's previous invitation to Sub-Commission members to visit the country. The Commission also failed, by two votes, to take action on a draft resolution on another serious human rights situation that of China - notwithstanding a report of the UN Secretary-General, which included information submitted by Amnesty International, prepared pur- suant to a resolution adopted by the Sub-Commission in 1989 (see Amnesty International Report 1990, Introduction/Work with International Organizations).
The Commission did, however, take a firmer position in respect of two other
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