Commends the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights for his interim report on the situation of human rights in Cuba;
2
Expresses its full support for the work of the Special Rapporteur;
3
Calls once more upon the Government of Cuba to cooperate fully with the Special Rapporteur by permitting him full and free access to establish contact with the Government and the citizens of Cuba so that he may fulfil the mandate entrusted to him;
4
Regrets profoundly the numerous violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms in Cuba, as described in the report of the Special Rapporteur to the Commission on Human Rights6 and in his interim report; 4/
Urgesthe Government of Cuba to ensure freedom of expression and assembly and the freedom to demonstrate peacefully, including by allowing political parties and non-governmental organizations to function freely in the country and by reforming legislation in this area;
6
Welcomes the ratification by the Government of Cuba of the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment;7
Calls especially upon the Government of Cuba to release the numerous persons detained for activities of a political nature, including those specifically mentioned in the report of the Special Rapporteur who suffer from inadequate medical care while imprisoned or whose rights as journalists or jurists are impeded or denied;
8
Calls uponthe Government of Cuba to adopt the other measures proposed in the interim report of the Special Rapporteur to bring the observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms in Cuba into conformity with international law and international human rights instruments and to end all violations of human rights by, inter alia, ratifying and effectively implementing those international human rights instruments to which it is not yet party, ceasing the persecution and punishment of citizens for reasons related to freedom of expression and peaceful association, respecting due process, and granting permission for access to the prisons by non-governmental humanitarian organizations and international humanitarian agencies;
9
Decides to continue its consideration of this question at its fifty-first session.
