The General Assembly,
 
      Guided by the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights and the International Covenants on Human Rights,
 
      Reaffirming that all Member States have an obligation to promote and
protect human rights and fundamental freedoms and the duty to fulfil the
obligations they have undertaken under the various international instruments
in this field,
 
      Mindful that Iraq is a party to the International Covenants on Human
Rights and to other international human rights instruments,
 
      Recalling its resolution 49/203 of 23 December 1994, in which it
expressed its strong condemnation of the massive violations of human rights of
the gravest nature in Iraq,
 
      Recalling also Commission on Human Rights resolution 1991/74 of 6 March
1991, by which the Commission requested its Chairman to appoint a special
rapporteur to make a thorough study of the violations of human rights by the
Government of Iraq, based on all information the special rapporteur might deem
relevant, including information provided by intergovernmental and
non-governmental organizations and any comments and material provided by the
Government of Iraq,
 
      Recalling further the pertinent resolutions of the Commission on Human
Rights condemning the flagrant violations of human rights by the Government of
Iraq, including its most recent, resolution 1995/76 of 8 March 1995, by which
the Commission extended the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation
of human rights in Iraq for a further year and requested him to submit an
interim report to the General Assembly at its fiftieth session and a final
report to the Commission at its fifty-second session,
 
      Bearing in mind Security Council resolution 688 (1991) of 5 April 1991,
in which the Council demanded an end to the repression of the Iraqi civilian
population and insisted that Iraq cooperate with humanitarian organizations
and ensure that the human and political rights of all Iraqi citizens were
respected,
 
      Recalling Security Council resolutions 687 (1991) of 3 April 1991, 706
(1991) of 15 August 1991, 712 (1991) of 19 September 1991 and 778 (1992) of 2
October 1992,
 
      Recalling also Security Council resolution 986 (1995) of 14 April 1995,
by which the Council authorized States to permit imports of Iraqi oil up to
the amount of one billion United States dollars every ninety days, on a
renewable basis, to be used to purchase essential food and medical supplies
for humanitarian purposes,
 
      Deeply concerned by the persisting massive and grave violations of human
rights by the Government of Iraq, regarding which there are no signs of
improvement, such as summary and arbitrary executions, the enactment and
implementation of decrees prescribing cruel and inhuman punishments, torture
and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, arbitrary arrests and
detentions, lack of due process, non-respect for the rule of law and the
suppression of freedom of thought, expression and association, as well as the
persistence of specific discrimination within the country as regards access to
food and health care, which amounts to a violation of the economic and social
rights of Iraqis,
 
      Deeply disturbed by the observation by the Special Rapporteur that Iraqi
armed forces have continued their attacks on the farming communities
throughout the region adjoining northern Iraq and in the south of the country,
resulting in the destruction of their crops and livestock,
 
      Deeply disturbed also by reports about the climate of oppression and the
dire economic and social situation in the south of Iraq,
 
      Noting the responsibility of the Iraqi authorities with regard to
persons missing and detained as a result of the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait,
and also noting that Iraq has recently renewed its participation in the
Tripartite Commission established pursuant to the cease-fire agreement of
1991,
 
      Deploring the refusal of the Government of Iraq to cooperate with the
United Nations human rights mechanisms, in particular by receiving a return
visit of the Special Rapporteur to Iraq and allowing the stationing of human
rights monitors throughout Iraq pursuant to the relevant resolutions of the
General Assembly and the Commission on Human Rights,
 
      1.    Takes note with appreciation of the interim report on the
situation of human rights in Iraq submitted by the Special Rapporteur of the
Commission on Human Rights on the situation of human rights in Iraq and the
observations, conclusions and recommendations contained therein;
 
      2.    Expresses its strong condemnation of the massive and extremely
grave violations of human rights for which the Government of Iraq is
responsible, resulting in an all-pervasive order of repression and oppression
which is sustained by broad-based discrimination and widespread terror;
 
      3.    Expresses its condemnation with regard to the violations of human
rights and international humanitarian law, in particular of:
 
      (a)   Summary and arbitrary executions, including political killings;
 
      (b)   The widespread routine practice of systematic torture in its most
cruel forms;
 
      (c)   The enactment and implementation of decrees prescribing cruel and
unusual punishment, namely mutilation, as a penalty for certain offences and
the abuse and diversion of medical-care services for the purpose of such
mutilations;
 
      (d)   Enforced or involuntary disappearances, routinely practised
arbitrary arrests and detention and consistent and routine failure to respect
due process and the rule of law;
 
      (e)   Suppression of freedom of thought, information, expression,
association and assembly, through fear of arrest, imprisonment and other
sanctions, including the death penalty, as well as harsh limitations to
freedom of movement;
 
      4.    Urges the Government of Iraq to cooperate with the United Nations
with a view to arranging for the export of oil in order to purchase essential
food and medical supplies for humanitarian purposes, as authorized by the
Security Council in its resolution 986 (1995);
 
      5.    Strongly condemns the continued refusal of the Government of Iraq
to take advantage of resources available to alleviate the suffering of the
people, which includes long-term disabilities of millions of people and the
death of many thousands more;
 
      6.    Again expresses its special alarm at the policies of the
Government of Iraq, which discriminate between regions and prevent the
equitable enjoyment of basic foodstuffs and medical supplies, and calls upon
Iraq, which has sole responsibility in this regard, to take steps to cooperate
with international humanitarian agencies in the provision of relief to those
in need throughout Iraq;
 
      7.    Calls once again upon Iraq, as a State party to the International
Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and to the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to abide by its obligations freely
undertaken under the Covenants and under other international instruments on
human rights, and particularly to respect and ensure the rights of all
individuals, irrespective of their origin, within its territory and subject to
its jurisdiction;
 
      8.    Demands that the Government of Iraq restore the independence of
the judiciary and abrogate all laws granting impunity to specified forces or
persons killing or injuring individuals for any purpose beyond the
administration of justice under the rule of law as prescribed by international
standards;
 
      9.    Also demands that the Government of Iraq abrogate any and all
decrees that prescribe cruel and inhuman punishment or treatment and take
every step necessary to ensure that the practice of torture and cruel and
unusual punishments and treatment no longer occur;
 
      10.   Urges the Government of Iraq to abrogate all laws and procedures,
including Revolution Command Council decree No. 840 of 4 November 1986, that
penalize the free expression of competing views and ideas and to ensure that
the genuine will of the people shall be the basis of authority in the State;
 
      11.   Also urges the Government of Iraq to improve its cooperation with
the Tripartite Commission with a view to establishing the whereabouts or
resolving the fate of the remaining several hundred missing persons and
prisoners of war, Kuwaitis and third-country nationals victims of the illegal
Iraqi occupation of Kuwait;
 
      12.   Requests the Secretary-General to provide the Special Rapporteur
with all necessary assistance in carrying out his mandate and to approve the
allocation of sufficient human and material resources for the sending of human
rights monitors to such locations as would facilitate improved information
flow and assessment and help in the independent verification of reports on the
situation of human rights in Iraq;
 
      13.   Decides to continue its consideration of the situation of human
rights in Iraq during its fifty-first session under the item entitled "Human
rights questions", in the light of additional elements provided by the
Commission on Human Rights and the Economic and Social Council.