HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE
Eighty-second session
List of issues on the fourth periodic report of Iceland
under article 40 of the International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights (CCPR/C/ISL/2004/4)
Implementation of the Covenant rights (art. 2)
1. Please provide a list, with brief explanations, of Supreme Court judgements that have referred to the Covenant.
2. Please give a detailed account of legislative measures adopted in relation to terrorism in pursuance of Security Council resolution 1373 (2001), in particular those measures that may affect the rights guaranteed under the Covenant. Give an account of cases in which those measures have been invoked
Equality of men and women and prohibition of discrimination (arts. 3 and 26)
3. Please provide information on any present discrepancies between the wages of men and women (paragraph 43 of the State party's report) and list the measures the State party has taken to redress any such discrepancy. What is the situation of women in the private sector with regard to wage equality?
4. The report lists several measures on providing support for victims of domestic violence (ibid., paras. 22-26). Please provide the Committee with information on what these measures have achieved in practice. Please give examples of the circumstances in which restraining orders have been issued and what are the difficulties which have been met in practice.
5. It is alleged that there is a high incidence of rape in the State party. Please explain the extent of the problem and provide information about the number and the result of prosecutions and other measures taken to address this phenomenon.
Prohibition of slavery or forced or compulsory labour (art. 8)
6. It is alleged that Iceland may have become a country of destination or transit for trafficked women. Please provide any available information regarding the number of women that may have been so trafficked, as well as information on existing programmes to respond to this problem. In particular, please provide information on any cases in which individuals have been charged for such trafficking.
Right to freedom from torture and conditions of treatment
of detained persons (arts. 7, 10 and 14)
7. Can information obtained by torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment be admitted into evidence in legal proceedings?
8. How often and under what circumstances is solitary confinement authorized? Please provide information about medical and psychological treatment for persons in solitary confinement and training of penitentiary personnel on proper procedures for safeguarding prisoners' welfare.
9. How are detained juvenile offenders protected from the adverse consequences of being held together with adult prisoners (ibid., para. 65)?
Right to privacy (art. 17)
10. What occurs with personal data already collected by the Data Protection Agency once a person exercises his/her right to stop the agency from collecting such data (ibid., para. 91)?
11. What are the consequences of the November 2003 Supreme Court judgment holding that the law governing the national health databank was not in full compliance with the right to privacy (ibid., paras. 93 and 94)?
Freedom of conscience and religious belief (art. 18)
12. Please clarify whether there have been any instances of discrimination against children who do not attend religious classes. What measures are there to prevent such discrimination?
Rights to freedom of movement, privacy, opinion and
peaceful assembly (arts. 12, 17, 19 and 21)
13. Please comment on the compatibility with Covenant provisions of measures taken to prevent a Falun Gong demonstration during a visit by a foreign head of State to Iceland. In particular, please comment on allegations that a list of Falun Gong members was sent by the police to the Minister of Justice, who subsequently forwarded the list to Iceland's embassies abroad and to the national airline, asking it to prevent the persons listed from boarding a plane to Iceland (ibid., para. 111).
14. It is alleged that, on 17 June 2003, during a public celebration of the country's national day, the police forcibly removed anti-NATO protesters from the celebration area and destroyed their signs. How is this consistent with the right to freedom of opinion and expression and the right to peaceful assembly?
The right to democratic elections and conduct of
public affairs (arts. 25 and 26)
15. Please explain why only citizens of Scandinavian countries benefit from preferential treatment in acquiring the right to vote in municipal elections. How is this measure considered compatible with articles 25 and 26 of the Covenant?
16. Please explain the system of appointments to the judiciary, in particular the Supreme Court, and comment on allegations that recent appointments have disregarded the opinion of the Ombudsman.
The right to equality before the law (art. 26)
17. Please provide information on living and working conditions of foreign workers in Iceland.
Rights of minorities (art. 27)
18. In reference to the increased immigrant population in Iceland (ibid., paras. 133-135), please provide details of any incidents of discrimination or expressions of xenophobia towards foreigners, and measures taken by the authorities in this regard.