The status of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) in the domestic law of state parties: An initial global survey through UN human rights committee documents

Human Rights Quarterly

Volumn 22, Issue 1, 2000, Pages 187-260

  Harland, Christopher ^a  

^a Office of the High Representative   (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

CIVIL RIGHTS; HUMAN RIGHTS; UNITED NATIONS;

EID: 0034067217     PISSN: 02750392     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1353/hrq.2000.0008     Document Type: Article

References (57)

1. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, adopted 16 Dec. 1966, G.A. Res. 2200 (XXI), U.N. GAOR, 21st Sess., Supp. No. 16, U.N. Doc. A/6316 (1966), 999 U.N.T.S. 171 (entered into force 23 Mar. 1976) [hereinafter ICCPR]. The current status of ratifications is available through the United Nations website, (visited 22 Nov. 1999) [hereinafter Treaty Ratification Website]. The text of the ICCPR may be found in 1 UNITED NATIONS CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, HUMAN RIGHTS: A COMPILATION OF INTERNATIONAL INSTRUMENTS, pt. 1, at 20, U.N. Doc. ST/HR/1/Rev.5 (1994); BASIC DOCUMENTS ON HUMAN RIGHTS 125 (lan Brownlie ed., 3d ed. 1992) [hereinafter BROWNLIE], WINSTON E. LANGLEY, HUMAN RIGHTS: SIXTY MAJOR GLOBAL INSTRUMENTS 16 (1992); SELECTED INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS INSTRUMENTS (Frank Newman & David Weissbrodt eds., 2d ed. 1996) [hereinafter NEWMAN & WEISSBRODT]. For an article by article analysis of the ICCPR, see MANFRED NOWAK, U.N. COVENANT ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS: CCPR COMMENTARY (1993). For previous comment on this topic, see Farrokh Jhabvala, Domestic Implementation of the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 32 Neth. Int'l L. Rev. 461 (1985). See also P.R. GHANDHI, THE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE AND THE RIGHT OF INDIVIDUAL COMMUNICATION: LAW AND PRACTICE (1998); THE INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS AND UNITED KINGDOM LAW (David Harris & Sarah Joseph eds., 1995).
2. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, adopted 16 Dec. 1966, G.A. Res. 2200 (XXI), U.N. GAOR, 21st Sess., Supp. No. 16, U.N. Doc. A/6316 (1966), 999 U.N.T.S. 171 (entered into force 23 Mar. 1976) [hereinafter ICCPR]. The current status of ratifications is available through the United Nations website, (visited 22 Nov. 1999) [hereinafter Treaty Ratification Website]. The text of the ICCPR may be found in 1 UNITED NATIONS CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, HUMAN RIGHTS: A COMPILATION OF INTERNATIONAL INSTRUMENTS, pt. 1, at 20, U.N. Doc. ST/HR/1/Rev.5 (1994); BASIC DOCUMENTS ON HUMAN RIGHTS 125 (lan Brownlie ed., 3d ed. 1992) [hereinafter BROWNLIE], WINSTON E. LANGLEY, HUMAN RIGHTS: SIXTY MAJOR GLOBAL INSTRUMENTS 16 (1992); SELECTED INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS INSTRUMENTS (Frank Newman & David Weissbrodt eds., 2d ed. 1996) [hereinafter NEWMAN & WEISSBRODT]. For an article by article analysis of the ICCPR, see MANFRED NOWAK, U.N. COVENANT ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS: CCPR COMMENTARY (1993). For previous comment on this topic, see Farrokh Jhabvala, Domestic Implementation of the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 32 Neth. Int'l L. Rev. 461 (1985). See also P.R. GHANDHI, THE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE AND THE RIGHT OF INDIVIDUAL COMMUNICATION: LAW AND PRACTICE (1998); THE INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS AND UNITED KINGDOM LAW (David Harris & Sarah Joseph eds., 1995).
3. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, adopted 16 Dec. 1966, G.A. Res. 2200 (XXI), U.N. GAOR, 21st Sess., Supp. No. 16, U.N. Doc. A/6316 (1966), 999 U.N.T.S. 171 (entered into force 23 Mar. 1976) [hereinafter ICCPR]. The current status of ratifications is available through the United Nations website, (visited 22 Nov. 1999) [hereinafter Treaty Ratification Website]. The text of the ICCPR may be found in 1 UNITED NATIONS CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, HUMAN RIGHTS: A COMPILATION OF INTERNATIONAL INSTRUMENTS, pt. 1, at 20, U.N. Doc. ST/HR/1/Rev.5 (1994); BASIC DOCUMENTS ON HUMAN RIGHTS 125 (lan Brownlie ed., 3d ed. 1992) [hereinafter BROWNLIE], WINSTON E. LANGLEY, HUMAN RIGHTS: SIXTY MAJOR GLOBAL INSTRUMENTS 16 (1992); SELECTED INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS INSTRUMENTS (Frank Newman & David Weissbrodt eds., 2d ed. 1996) [hereinafter NEWMAN & WEISSBRODT]. For an article by article analysis of the ICCPR, see MANFRED NOWAK, U.N. COVENANT ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS: CCPR COMMENTARY (1993). For previous comment on this topic, see Farrokh Jhabvala, Domestic Implementation of the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 32 Neth. Int'l L. Rev. 461 (1985). See also P.R. GHANDHI, THE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE AND THE RIGHT OF INDIVIDUAL COMMUNICATION: LAW AND PRACTICE (1998); THE INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS AND UNITED KINGDOM LAW (David Harris & Sarah Joseph eds., 1995).
4. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, adopted 16 Dec. 1966, G.A. Res. 2200 (XXI), U.N. GAOR, 21st Sess., Supp. No. 16, U.N. Doc. A/6316 (1966), 999 U.N.T.S. 171 (entered into force 23 Mar. 1976) [hereinafter ICCPR]. The current status of ratifications is available through the United Nations website, (visited 22 Nov. 1999) [hereinafter Treaty Ratification Website]. The text of the ICCPR may be found in 1 UNITED NATIONS CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, HUMAN RIGHTS: A COMPILATION OF INTERNATIONAL INSTRUMENTS, pt. 1, at 20, U.N. Doc. ST/HR/1/Rev.5 (1994); BASIC DOCUMENTS ON HUMAN RIGHTS 125 (lan Brownlie ed., 3d ed. 1992) [hereinafter BROWNLIE], WINSTON E. LANGLEY, HUMAN RIGHTS: SIXTY MAJOR GLOBAL INSTRUMENTS 16 (1992); SELECTED INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS INSTRUMENTS (Frank Newman & David Weissbrodt eds., 2d ed. 1996) [hereinafter NEWMAN & WEISSBRODT]. For an article by article analysis of the ICCPR, see MANFRED NOWAK, U.N. COVENANT ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS: CCPR COMMENTARY (1993). For previous comment on this topic, see Farrokh Jhabvala, Domestic Implementation of the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 32 Neth. Int'l L. Rev. 461 (1985). See also P.R. GHANDHI, THE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE AND THE RIGHT OF INDIVIDUAL COMMUNICATION: LAW AND PRACTICE (1998); THE INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS AND UNITED KINGDOM LAW (David Harris & Sarah Joseph eds., 1995).
5. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, adopted 16 Dec. 1966, G.A. Res. 2200 (XXI), U.N. GAOR, 21st Sess., Supp. No. 16, U.N. Doc. A/6316 (1966), 999 U.N.T.S. 171 (entered into force 23 Mar. 1976) [hereinafter ICCPR]. The current status of ratifications is available through the United Nations website, (visited 22 Nov. 1999) [hereinafter Treaty Ratification Website]. The text of the ICCPR may be found in 1 UNITED NATIONS CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, HUMAN RIGHTS: A COMPILATION OF INTERNATIONAL INSTRUMENTS, pt. 1, at 20, U.N. Doc. ST/HR/1/Rev.5 (1994); BASIC DOCUMENTS ON HUMAN RIGHTS 125 (lan Brownlie ed., 3d ed. 1992) [hereinafter BROWNLIE], WINSTON E. LANGLEY, HUMAN RIGHTS: SIXTY MAJOR GLOBAL INSTRUMENTS 16 (1992); SELECTED INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS INSTRUMENTS (Frank Newman & David Weissbrodt eds., 2d ed. 1996) [hereinafter NEWMAN & WEISSBRODT]. For an article by article analysis of the ICCPR, see MANFRED NOWAK, U.N. COVENANT ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS: CCPR COMMENTARY (1993). For previous comment on this topic, see Farrokh Jhabvala, Domestic Implementation of the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 32 Neth. Int'l L. Rev. 461 (1985). See also P.R. GHANDHI, THE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE AND THE RIGHT OF INDIVIDUAL COMMUNICATION: LAW AND PRACTICE (1998); THE INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS AND UNITED KINGDOM LAW (David Harris & Sarah Joseph eds., 1995).
6. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, adopted 16 Dec. 1966, G.A. Res. 2200 (XXI), U.N. GAOR, 21st Sess., Supp. No. 16, U.N. Doc. A/6316 (1966), 999 U.N.T.S. 171 (entered into force 23 Mar. 1976) [hereinafter ICCPR]. The current status of ratifications is available through the United Nations website, (visited 22 Nov. 1999) [hereinafter Treaty Ratification Website]. The text of the ICCPR may be found in 1 UNITED NATIONS CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, HUMAN RIGHTS: A COMPILATION OF INTERNATIONAL INSTRUMENTS, pt. 1, at 20, U.N. Doc. ST/HR/1/Rev.5 (1994); BASIC DOCUMENTS ON HUMAN RIGHTS 125 (lan Brownlie ed., 3d ed. 1992) [hereinafter BROWNLIE], WINSTON E. LANGLEY, HUMAN RIGHTS: SIXTY MAJOR GLOBAL INSTRUMENTS 16 (1992); SELECTED INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS INSTRUMENTS (Frank Newman & David Weissbrodt eds., 2d ed. 1996) [hereinafter NEWMAN & WEISSBRODT]. For an article by article analysis of the ICCPR, see MANFRED NOWAK, U.N. COVENANT ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS: CCPR COMMENTARY (1993). For previous comment on this topic, see Farrokh Jhabvala, Domestic Implementation of the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 32 Neth. Int'l L. Rev. 461 (1985). See also P.R. GHANDHI, THE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE AND THE RIGHT OF INDIVIDUAL COMMUNICATION: LAW AND PRACTICE (1998); THE INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS AND UNITED KINGDOM LAW (David Harris & Sarah Joseph eds., 1995).
7. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, adopted 16 Dec. 1966, G.A. Res. 2200 (XXI), U.N. GAOR, 21st Sess., Supp. No. 16, U.N. Doc. A/6316 (1966), 999 U.N.T.S. 171 (entered into force 23 Mar. 1976) [hereinafter ICCPR]. The current status of ratifications is available through the United Nations website, (visited 22 Nov. 1999) [hereinafter Treaty Ratification Website]. The text of the ICCPR may be found in 1 UNITED NATIONS CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, HUMAN RIGHTS: A COMPILATION OF INTERNATIONAL INSTRUMENTS, pt. 1, at 20, U.N. Doc. ST/HR/1/Rev.5 (1994); BASIC DOCUMENTS ON HUMAN RIGHTS 125 (lan Brownlie ed., 3d ed. 1992) [hereinafter BROWNLIE], WINSTON E. LANGLEY, HUMAN RIGHTS: SIXTY MAJOR GLOBAL INSTRUMENTS 16 (1992); SELECTED INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS INSTRUMENTS (Frank Newman & David Weissbrodt eds., 2d ed. 1996) [hereinafter NEWMAN & WEISSBRODT]. For an article by article analysis of the ICCPR, see MANFRED NOWAK, U.N. COVENANT ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS: CCPR COMMENTARY (1993). For previous comment on this topic, see Farrokh Jhabvala, Domestic Implementation of the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 32 Neth. Int'l L. Rev. 461 (1985). See also P.R. GHANDHI, THE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE AND THE RIGHT OF INDIVIDUAL COMMUNICATION: LAW AND PRACTICE (1998); THE INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS AND UNITED KINGDOM LAW (David Harris & Sarah Joseph eds., 1995).
8. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, adopted 16 Dec. 1966, G.A. Res. 2200 (XXI), U.N. GAOR, 21st Sess., Supp. No. 16, U.N. Doc. A/6316 (1966), 999 U.N.T.S. 171 (entered into force 23 Mar. 1976) [hereinafter ICCPR]. The current status of ratifications is available through the United Nations website, (visited 22 Nov. 1999) [hereinafter Treaty Ratification Website]. The text of the ICCPR may be found in 1 UNITED NATIONS CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, HUMAN RIGHTS: A COMPILATION OF INTERNATIONAL INSTRUMENTS, pt. 1, at 20, U.N. Doc. ST/HR/1/Rev.5 (1994); BASIC DOCUMENTS ON HUMAN RIGHTS 125 (lan Brownlie ed., 3d ed. 1992) [hereinafter BROWNLIE], WINSTON E. LANGLEY, HUMAN RIGHTS: SIXTY MAJOR GLOBAL INSTRUMENTS 16 (1992); SELECTED INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS INSTRUMENTS (Frank Newman & David Weissbrodt eds., 2d ed. 1996) [hereinafter NEWMAN & WEISSBRODT]. For an article by article analysis of the ICCPR, see MANFRED NOWAK, U.N. COVENANT ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS: CCPR COMMENTARY (1993). For previous comment on this topic, see Farrokh Jhabvala, Domestic Implementation of the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 32 Neth. Int'l L. Rev. 461 (1985). See also P.R. GHANDHI, THE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE AND THE RIGHT OF INDIVIDUAL COMMUNICATION: LAW AND PRACTICE (1998); THE INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS AND UNITED KINGDOM LAW (David Harris & Sarah Joseph eds., 1995).
9. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, adopted 16 Dec. 1966, G.A. Res. 2200 (XXI), U.N. GAOR, 21st Sess., Supp. No. 16, U.N. Doc. A/6316 (1966), 999 U.N.T.S. 171 (entered into force 23 Mar. 1976) [hereinafter ICCPR]. The current status of ratifications is available through the United Nations website, (visited 22 Nov. 1999) [hereinafter Treaty Ratification Website]. The text of the ICCPR may be found in 1 UNITED NATIONS CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, HUMAN RIGHTS: A COMPILATION OF INTERNATIONAL INSTRUMENTS, pt. 1, at 20, U.N. Doc. ST/HR/1/Rev.5 (1994); BASIC DOCUMENTS ON HUMAN RIGHTS 125 (lan Brownlie ed., 3d ed. 1992) [hereinafter BROWNLIE], WINSTON E. LANGLEY, HUMAN RIGHTS: SIXTY MAJOR GLOBAL INSTRUMENTS 16 (1992); SELECTED INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS INSTRUMENTS (Frank Newman & David Weissbrodt eds., 2d ed. 1996) [hereinafter NEWMAN & WEISSBRODT]. For an article by article analysis of the ICCPR, see MANFRED NOWAK, U.N. COVENANT ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS: CCPR COMMENTARY (1993). For previous comment on this topic, see Farrokh Jhabvala, Domestic Implementation of the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 32 Neth. Int'l L. Rev. 461 (1985). See also P.R. GHANDHI, THE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE AND THE RIGHT OF INDIVIDUAL COMMUNICATION: LAW AND PRACTICE (1998); THE INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS AND UNITED KINGDOM LAW (David Harris & Sarah Joseph eds., 1995).
10. Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted 10 Dec. 1948, G.A. Res. 217A (III), U.N. GAOR, 3d Sess. (Resolutions, part 1), at 71, U.N. Doc. A/810 (1948), reprinted in 43 AM. J. INT'L L. 127 (Supp. 1949) [hereinafter UDHR]. Text of the UDHR may be found in NEWMAN & WEISSBRODT, supra note 1, at 22; BROWNLIE, supra note 1, at 21.
11. DOMINIC MCGOLDRICK, THE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE: ITS ROLE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS 20 (1991). See also id. at 38 n.214.
12. Treaty Ratification Website, supra note 1. Note that the website claims there are 144 State parties. However, two of these States, China and Sao Tome and Principe, are signatories, and not full parties. They are not included because they are currently not obligated to provide State party reports and information on the ICCPR in their domestic law. For a hard copy of the status of ratifications, see MULTILATERAL TREATIES DEPOSITED WITH THE SECRETARY-GENERAL, U.N. Doc. ST/LEG/SER.E/16, U.N. Sales No. E.98.V.2 (1998) (the most recent edition (Nov. 1998) provides the status as of 31 Dec. 1997).
13. MCGOLDRICK, supra note 3, at 20.
14. See ICCPR, supra note 1.
15. Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, adopted 16 Dec. 1966, G.A. Res. 2200A (XXI), U.N. GAOR, 21st Sess., U.N. Doc. A/6316 (1966), 999 U.N.T.S. 171 (entered into force 23 Mar. 1976), reprinted in 6 I.L.M. 383 (1967) [hereinafter Optional Protocol]. For the complete text, see NEWMAN & WEISSBRODT, supra note 1, at 47; BROWNLIE, supra note 1, at 144. Article 5 of the Optional Protocol reads: 1. The Committee shall consider communications received under the present Protocol in the light of all written information made available to it by the individual and by the State Party concerned. 2. The Committee shall not consider any communication from an individual unless it has ascertained that: a. The same matter is not examined under another procedure of international investigation or settlement; b. The individual has exhausted all available domestic remedies. This shall not be the rule where the application of the remedies is unreasonably prolonged. 3. The Committee shall hold closed meetings when examining communications under the present Protocol. 4. The Committee shall forward its views to the State Party concerned and to the individual. Optional Protocol, supra, art. 5. A list of parties to the Optional Protocol is available through the United Nations website, (visited 22 Nov. 1999). Note that while the website lists 95 State parties, China, Honduras, and Yugoslavia have signed but not ratified the instrument.
16. Article 40(4) of the ICCPR reads: The Committee shall study the reports submitted by the States Parties to the present Covenant. It shall transmit its reports, and such general comments as it may consider appropriate, to the States Parties. The Committee may also transmit to the Economic and Social Council these comments along with the copies of the reports it has received from States Parties to the present Covenant. ICCPR, supra note 1, art. 40(4).
17. Farrokh Jhabvala describes this supervision, while "noteworthy," as only a "modicum of international supervision." Jhabvala, supra note 1, at 461. Jhabvala also describes the supervision as a "mild form of international accountability." Id. at 484.
18. Id. at 461.
19. Id. at 461-62.
20. McGoldrick, supra note 3, at 271. In 1985, Jhabvala wrote that some countries had reported incorporating the Covenant into their domestic law, while other countries followed the "British approach." Jhabvala, supra note 1, at 464-65.
21. Article 40(1) of the ICCPR contains this obligation. ICCPR, supra note 1, art. 40(1). For the years 1977-1987, the text of the reports may be found in the Yearbook of the Human Rights Committee. E.g., 2 Y.B. HUM. RTS. COMM. 1987, at 7, U.N. Doc. CCPR/6/Add.1, U.N. Sales No. E.93.XIV.2 (1994). From 1987 to the present, the same reports may be found in the Official Records of the Human Rights Committee. E.g., 2 OFFICIAL REC. HUM. RTS. COMM. 1987/88, at 9, U.N. Doc. CCPR/7/Add.1, U.N. Sales No. E.94.XIV.3 (1995) [hereinafter OFFICIAL RECORDS].
22. Article 40(1) of the ICCPR contains this obligation. ICCPR, supra note 1, art. 40(1). For the years 1977-1987, the text of the reports may be found in the Yearbook of the Human Rights Committee. E.g., 2 Y.B. HUM. RTS. COMM. 1987, at 7, U.N. Doc. CCPR/6/Add.1, U.N. Sales No. E.93.XIV.2 (1994). From 1987 to the present, the same reports may be found in the Official Records of the Human Rights Committee. E.g., 2 OFFICIAL REC. HUM. RTS. COMM. 1987/88, at 9, U.N. Doc. CCPR/7/Add.1, U.N. Sales No. E.94.XIV.3 (1995) [hereinafter OFFICIAL RECORDS].
23. See also UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Treaty Bodies Database (visited Sept. 16, 1999) [hereinafter Treaty Bodies Database].
24. The easiest place to find the core documents of the state parties is the Treaty Bodies Database, supra note 13. (See "documents," then ICCPR, then "other documents," then "core documents.") They may also be found in the OFFICIAL RECORDS, supra note 13. Note, however, that the publication of these reports is currently running about four to five years behind.
25. See OFFICIAL RECORDS, supra note 13; Treaty Bodies Database, supra note 13.
26. ICCPR, supra note 1, art. 2(2).
27. For example, Committee member Mr. Prado Vallejo has commented in the Official Gazette in Chile regarding the twelve-year delay in the publication of the ICCPR. While the Covenant was binding upon Chile during these twelve years, it could not be invoked before Chilean courts, and this delay was criticized. Consideration of Reports Submitted by States Parties Under Article 40 of the Covenant: Chile, U.N. GAOR, Hum. Rts. Comm., 37th Sess., mtg. 942, ¶ 15, U.N. Doc. CCPR/C/SR.942 (1989).
28. Nowak, supra note 1, at 54 (emphasis in original).
29. Article 2: Implementation at the National Level, General Comment No. 3, U.N. GAOR, Hum. Rts. Comm., 13th Sess., at 4, U.N. Doc. HRI/GEN/REV.1 (1994).
30. The core document provides basic data concerning the country and its legal system and is used by all treaty bodies to which the state reports.
31. In Russia, for example, the Covenant is now part of domestic law and may be raised before its courts. Under the law of the Soviet Union, treaties did not form part of the domestic legal order. See Eric Stein, International Law in Internal Law: Toward Internationalization of Central-Eastern European Constitutions? 88 AM. J. INT'L L. 427 (1994).
32. See Jhabvala, supra note 1, at 483.
33. See Annex A - Country by country analysis, infra.
34. See id.
35. For more detailed information, see Annex A, infra.
36. Michael Kirby, The Road from Bangalore: The First Ten Years of the Bangalore Principles on the Domestic Application of International Human Rights Norms, Address Before the Conference on the Tenth Anniversary of the Bangalore Principles (Dec. 26, 1998), available on (visited 22 Nov. 1999).
37. See also The Impact of International Human Rights Norms: A Law Undergoing Evolution, 25 W. AUSTL. L. REV. 130 (1995).
38. Which state, in brief, "(1) International law (whether human rights norms or otherwise) is not, as such, part of domestic law in most common law countries; (2) Such law does not become part of domestic law until Parliament so enacts or the judges (as another source of law-making) declare now the norms thereby established are part of domestic law; (3) The judges will not do so automatically, simply because the norm is part of international law or is mentioned in a treaty - even one ratified by their own country; (4) But if an issue of uncertainty arises (as by a lacuna in the common law, obscurity in its meaning or ambiguity in a relevant statute), a judge may seek guidance in the general principles of international law, as accepted by the community of nations; and (5) From this source material, the judge may ascertain and declare what the relevant rule of domestic law is. It is the action of the judge, incorporating the rule into domestic law, which then makes it part of domestic law." Kirby, supra note 26.
39. Id.
40. See Annex A, infra.
41. See Treaty Bodies Database, supra note 13.
42. Core Document Forming Part of the Report of State Parties: China, U.N. GAOR, ¶ 52, U.N. Doc. HRI/Core/Add. 21/Rev. 1 (1993).
43. For more detailed information, see Annex A, Infra.
44. For more detailed information, see id. Note that this does not include countries that have not incorporated the Covenant into their domestic law. In such countries, it may be permissible for a claimant to refer to the Covenant, but not to base a claim on the Covenant. See id.
45. See id.
46. See id. For further details on other countries, see Section 5, infra.
47. Report of the Human Rights Committee (Vol. 1), U.N. GAOR, 52d Sess., ¶ ¶ 455-75, U.N. Doc. A/52/40 (1997).
48. See id. ¶ ¶ 4-5.
49. Secretariat of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe, Strasbourg Fr (Mar 1999).
50. It may also inform lawyers of ICCPR cases brought before their own courts, as in some countries, court judgements are not widely published.
51. Treaty Ratification Website, supra note 1.
52. Information given by the following state parties was too vague to make a determination: Afghanistan, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and Morocco.
53. The 12 state parties in which the ICCPR is part of the domestic law but for which not enough information was available on the rank of the ICCPR in the domestic law are: Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Czech Republic, Gabon, Libya, Madagascar, Mali, San Marino, Sudan, and Yugoslavia.
54. The Netherlands and Spain.
55. Armenia, Panama, Rwanda, and Venezuela.
56. Where the rank was unclear, the lower of the two possibilities was given. The rank may therefore be higher than concluded in this article in Chile, France, Italy, Peru, Rwanda, and Togo.
57. Bolivia, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Mexico, Peru, Republic of Korea, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Uruguay.