The Human Rights Committee met for its 107th session from 11- 28 March 2013.
More information on this session
The Human Rights Committee also adopted list of issues on Bolivia, Czech Republic, Djibouti, Indonesia, Mauritania, Mozambique, Tajikistan and the US, as well as began its reading of the first draft of a General Comment on the right to liberty (Article 9, ICCPR).
At the closing of the 107th session, the Human Rights Committee announced its clarified position on its interpretation of Article 25 of the ICCPR with respect to “the right to vote for persons with mental, intellectual or psychosocial disabilities”. While it recognised that its General Comment no 25 on participation in public affairs and the right to vote (whose para 4 conflicts with the CRPD) may be interpreted differently, it stated that the Committee’s view is that it is unnecessary and contrary to its practice to amend its general comment. The Committee’s clarified position, as put forward in its Concluding Observations adopted at this session, is that legislation relating to Article 25 on the right to vote, should be revised “to ensure that it does not discriminate against persons with mental, intellectual or psychosocial disabilities by denying them the right to vote on bases that are disproportionate or that have no reasonable and objective relation to their ability to vote taking account of article 25 of the Covenant, and article 29 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.” The Human Rights Committee stated that this clarification on Article 25 would be highlighted to the CRPD Committee and other interested parties, and encouraged all to publicise the Committee’s position. Public sessions of the Human Rights Committee were webcast live and have been archived on the treaty body webcast website.
Related documents:
- Disability analysis of the adopted Concluding Observations
- IDA submissions on Paraguay, Hong Kong, Angola and Belize focusing on the right to political participation of persons with disabilities
- Submission on Peru by a coalition of Peruvian DPOs
- Disability analysis of the adopted list of issues
- Joint submission by CHRUSP, WNUSP, IDA and others for the list of issues on the United States
- First draft of General Comment no 35 on Article 9 of the ICCPR in English, French & Spanish
- Joint submission by WNUSP, II, DSI and IDA on General Comment on Article 9, ICCPR
