Decision on merits; Substantive issues: accused persons / convicted persons defence, adequate time and facilities preparation of defence fair trial fair trial - witnesses legal assistance; Articles: 6 (2) 14 (1) 14 (3) (b) 14 (3) (d) 14 (3) (e) 14 (5); Procedural issues: exhaustion of domestic remedies; [CCPR: UNO-Pakt II, Internationaler Pakt über bürgerliche und politische Rechte; Pacte international relatif aux droits civils et politiques; Patto II]
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CCPR/C/43/D/230/l987
19 November 1991
ORIGINAL: ENGLISH
_________________________________________________________________
HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE
Forty-third session
DECISIONS
Communication No. 230/l987
Submitted by :
Raphael Henry (represented by counsel)
Alleged victim :
The author
State party :
Jamaica
Date of communication :
29 May 1987 (initial submission)
Documentation references
: Prior decisions - CCPR/C/30/D/230/1987
(combined rule 86,
rule 91 decision,
dated 21 July 1987)
-
CCPR/C/WG/32/D/230/1987
(further Working
Group
combined rule 86,
rule 91 decision,
dated 22 March 1988)
- CCPR/C/38/D/230/1987
(decision on
admissibility, dated
15 March 1990)
- CCPR/C/42/D/230/1987
(interlocutory
decision, dated 24
July
1991)
Date of adoption of Views
under article 5,
paragraph 4, of the
Optional Protocol :
1 November 1991
On 1 November 1991, the Human Rights Committee adopted its
Views under article 5, paragraph 4, of the Optional Protocol,
concerning communication No. 230/1987. The text of the Views is
CCPR/C/43/D/230/1987
English
Annex
Page 1
annexed to the present document.
[Annex]
*/
Made public by decision of the Human Rights Committee.
DEC230.43
ANNEX
Views of the Human Rights Committee under article 5, paragraph 4,
of the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant
on Civil and Political Rights
- Forty-third session -
concerning
Communication No. 230/1987
Submitted by :
Raphael Henry
(represented by counsel)
Alleged victim :
The author
State party :
Jamaica
Date of communication :
29 May 1987
(initial submission)
Date of decision on admissibility
:
15 March 1990
The Human Rights Committee
, established under article 28 of
the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,
Meeting on 1 November 1991,
Having considered communication No. 230/1987, submitted to
the Committee by Mr. Raphael Henry under the Optional Protocol to
the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,
Having taken into account
all written information made
available to it by the author of the communication and by the
State party,
Adopts the following Views under article 5, paragraph 4, of
the Optional Protocol.
CCPR/C/43/D/230/1987
English
Annex
Page 2
The facts as submitted by the author
:
1.
The author of the communication is Raphael Henry, a Jamaican
citizen currently awaiting execution at St. Catherine District
Prison, Jamaica. He claims to be the victim of a violation by
Jamaica of his rights under article 14 of the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. He is represented by
counsel.
2.1 The author was arrested in August 1984 and charged with the
murder, on 12 August 1984 in the parish of Portland, Jamaica, of
one Leroy Anderson. He was tried in the Portland Circuit Court
in March 1985, found guilty as charged and sentenced to death on
7 March 1985. The Jamaican Court of Appeal dismissed his appeal
on 28 January 1986, and the Judicial Committee of the Privy
Council dismissed his petition for special leave to appeal in
February 1987.
2.2 It is stated that on 12 August 1984, the author was walking
from his home to the fields along railroad tracks when he was
approached and suddenly attacked by Mr. Anderson. He sought to
defend himself with a machete, and in the ensuing struggle, Mr.
Anderson was fatally wounded.
2.3 With respect to the circumstances of the appeal, the author
states that he was not present when it was heard and dismissed.
Furthermore, the legal aid lawyer assigned to represent him
before the Portland Circuit Court and who was familiar with his
file, did not himself argue the appeal but assigned substitute
counsel to the hearing of the appeal; the author adds that the
attorney who replaced his previous counsel was totally unprepared
for the task. Still in the context of the appeal, the author
indicates that he has experienced great difficulties in obtaining
the court documents in his case; he states that by letter dated 3
September 1987 from the Registrar of the Court of Appeal, he was
informed that the Court of Appeal had only delivered an oral
judgment in the case.
CCPR/C/43/D/230/1987
English
Annex
Page 3
2.4 The London law firm which represented the author before the
Judicial Committee of the Privy Council observes that his
petition was dismissed because of the absence of a written
judgment from the Court of Appeal. In this context, it is
indicated that three other Jamaican capital cases were heard and
dismissed by the Judicial Committee in January 1987, all of which
raised the issue of the absence of a written judgment of the
Court of Appeal. In this context, counsel explains that the
dismissal of the author's petition was due to his failure to meet
the Judicial Committee's Rules of Procedure, namely, to explain
the grounds on which he was seeking special leave to appeal, and
to provide the Judicial Committee with copies of the decisions of
the lower courts. Counsel refers, in particular, to Sections
3(1)(b) and 4(a) of the Judicial Committee (General Appellate
Jurisdiction) Rules Order (1982 Statutory Instrument No.1676).
2.5 Counsel recalls that before the Judicial Committee the
author's representative requested the members of the Judicial
Committee to (a) allow the petition on the ground that the
failure of the Court of Appeal to provide a written judgment in a
capital case was such a violation of the principles of natural
justice that leave to appeal should be granted and (b) remit the
case to Jamaica with a direction, under Section 10 of the
Judicial Committee Act of 1844, that the Court of Appeal be
required to provide written reasons.
2.6 At the time, counsel advised that a constitutional motion
should be filed in the Supreme Court of Jamaica. Counsel
indicates that she has been exploring the possibility of filing a
constitutional motion on the author's behalf; in mid-1989, the
author's file was transmitted to a new counsel in London, who
subsequently confirmed that in spite of all her efforts to this
effect, no Jamaican lawyer agreed to represent the author, on a
no-fee basis, in any constitutional motion which it may be
possible to bring before the Supreme (Constitutional) Court.
The complaint :
3.1 The author claims that he was denied a fair trial and, in
particular, that the preliminary investigations in the case were
biased; thus, the arresting officers allegedly threatened him so
as to induce him to confess the crime. It is further submitted
CCPR/C/43/D/230/1987
English
Annex
Page 4
See Eagle Trust Ltd. v. Pigot-Brown
[1985] 3 All ER
1
119; Norton Tools Co. Ltd v. Tewson
[1973], 2 WLR 45; R. v.
Immigration Appeal Tribunal, Ex Parte Khan (Mahmud)
, [1983], 2
WLR 759.
that the prosecution witnesses were wholly unreliable, as they
could not realistically have witnessed the course of events from
the point where they claimed to have been standing. Finally, the
trial judge is said to have failed to properly direct the jury on
the issue of manslaughter and legitimate self-defence, and the
issue of provocation allegedly was not put to the jury.
3.2 The author concedes that he was represented by a legal aid
attorney during the trial but submits that the preparation of his
defence was totally inadequate, due to minimal opportunities to
consult with his lawyer prior to the trial. In particular, the
author contends that his defence was prepared on the first day of
the trial. Furthermore, he claims that witnesses against him
were not thoroughly cross-examined. Two witnesses were called on
his behalf - they were not, however, eyewitnesses, and in the
author's opinion were not given the opportunity to testify under
the same conditions as the witnesses against him. This was
because the prosecutor allegedly ridiculed and intimidated the
defence witnesses, thereby producing an incoherent testimony
which undermined the credibility of the witnesses in the eyes of
the jury.
3.3 The author contends that the absence of a written judgment
of the Court of Appeal of Jamaica constitutes a violation of his
constitutional rights, and resulted in the dismissal of his
petition for special leave to appeal to the Judicial Committee.
In this way, he claims, he was denied a fair review of his case,
in violation of article 14, paragraph 5, of the Covenant.
3.4 It is submitted that the Court of Appeal was under a duty to
provide the written reasons for its decision of 28 January 1986,
especially since the Court's reasoned judgment was necessary in
order to pursue a further appeal, and that failure to provide
written reasons would frustrate a prospective appellant's right
to exercise his right of appeal. According to counsel, there is
ample support, in British and Commonwealth jurisprudence,
for
1
the proposition that there is a judicial duty to give reasons for
a decision, the rationale being that written reasons afford an
CCPR/C/43/D/230/1987
English
Annex
Page 5
Bugdaycay v. Secretary of State for the Home Department
2
[1987] 1 All ER 940.
insight into the legal or factual bases for the judgment and
afford the complainant the opportunity to exercise any available
right of appeal in a timely and informed manner.
3.5 Counsel further submits that the failure of the Judicial
Committee to direct the Court of Appeal to produce a written
judgment and to admit his petition left Mr. Henry with no
available remedy and amounted to a denial of his right of appeal
against conviction and sentence, in violation of article 14,
paragraph 5. By failing to exercise the powers conferred upon it
by the Judicial Committee Act, the Privy Council is said to have
"abdicated" its supervisory jurisdiction, conferred by Section
110, paragraph 3, of the Jamaican Constitution, to ensure that
the decisions of the lower courts were not deficient.
3.6 In counsel's opinion, a recent decision of the House of
Lords underscores the importance of the supervisory function of
2
courts. In this judgment it was stated that the courts are
entitled, within limits, "...to subject an administrative
decision to a more rigorous examination, to ensure that it is in
no way flawed, according to the gravity of the issue which the
decision determines. ...When an administrative decision under
challenge is said to be one which may put the applicant's life at
risk, the basis of the decision under challenge must surely call
for the most anxious scrutiny." Although this reasoning was
applied in the context of an administrative decision, counsel
submits that it is applicable to the author's case. The "special
responsibility" rests with the Judicial Committee in view of the
very real threat of execution facing the author; in counsel's
opinion, the Judicial Committee did not exercise the "anxious
scrutiny " required by the particular circumstances of the
author's case.
The State party's observations
:
4. The State party, by submission of 26 October 1988, concedes
that the Court of Appeal of Jamaica did not issue a written
judgment in the case; the Court confined itself to an oral
CCPR/C/43/D/230/1987
English
Annex
Page 6
judgment when refusing Mr. Henry's application for leave to
appeal. By further submission of 26 January 1989, the State
party argues that the communication is inadmissible on the ground
of non-exhaustion of domestic remedies, since the author failed
to take action under the Jamaican Constitution to seek
enforcement of his right, under Section 20 of the Constitution,
to a fair trial and legal representation. In this context, it
submits that the fact that an appellant has not been afforded
redress by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council does not
mean that he has exhausted domestic remedies, since even after a
hearing of a criminal appeal by the Privy Council, an appellant
may still exercise his constitutional rights to seek redress in
the Jamaican courts.
The Committee's admissibility considerations and decision
:
5.1 At its 38th session, the Committee considered the
admissibility of the communication. It took note of the State
party's contention that the communication was inadmissible
because of the author's failure to pursue constitutional remedies
available to him under the Jamaican Constitution. In the
circumstances of the case, the Committee found that recourse to
the Constitutional Court under Section 25 of the Constitution was
not a remedy available to the author within the meaning of
article 5, paragraph 2(b), of the Optional Protocol.
5.2 The Committee noted that part of the author's allegations
related to claims of bias on the part of the trial judge,
particularly in respect of the adequacy or otherwise of the
judge's instructions to the jury. The Committee reiterated that
the review by it of specific instructions by the judge to the
jury is beyond the scope of application of article 14 of the
Covenant, unless it can be ascertained that the instructions to
the jury were clearly arbitrary or amounted to a denial of
justice, or that the judge manifestly violated his obligation of
impartiality. In the circumstances, the Committee found that the
judge's instructions did not suffer from such defects.
5.3 On 15 March 1990, accordingly, the Committee declared the
communication admissible in respect of article 14, paragraphs
3(b), (d), (e), and 5 of the Covenant.
CCPR/C/43/D/230/1987
English
Annex
Page 7
The State party's objections to the admissibility decision and
the Committee's request for further clarifications
:
6.1 The State party, in a submission of 6 February 1991, rejects
the Committee's findings on admissibility and challenges the
reasoning described in paragraph 5.1 above. It argues, in
particular, that the Committee's reasoning reflects a
misunderstanding of the relevant Jamaican law, especially the
operation of Sections 25(1) and (2) of the Jamaican Constitution.
The right to apply for redress under Section 25(1) is, in the
terms of the provision itself, "without prejudice to any other
action with respect to the same matter which is lawfully
available." The only limitation is contained in Section 25(2)
which, in the State party's opinion, is not applicable in the
case, since the alleged breach of the right to a fair trial was
not at issue in the criminal law appeal to the Court of Appeal
and to the Judicial Committee:
"... If the contravention alleged was not the subject of
the criminal law appeals,
ex hypothesi, those appeals could
hardly constitute an adequate remedy for that contravention.
The decision of the Committee would render meaningless and
nugatory the hard earned constitutional rights of Jamaicans
and persons in Jamaica, by its failure to distinguish
between the right to appeal against the verdict and sentence
of the court in a criminal case, and the "brand new right"
to apply for constitutional redress granted in 1962."
6.2 The State party submits that the admissibility decision
attaches undue significance to the fact that the Jamaican courts
have not yet had occasion to rule on the application of the
proviso to Section 25(2) of the Constitution in circumstances
where the applicant has already exhausted his criminal law
appellate remedies. It notes that in the case of
Noel Riley v.
The Queen [A.G. (1982) 3 AER 469], Mr. Riley was able to apply,
after the dismissal of his criminal appeal by the Court of Appeal
and the Privy Council, to the Constitutional Court for redress
and thereafter to the Court of Appeal and the Privy Council,
although unsuccessfully. In the State party's opinion, this
precedent illustrates that recourse to criminal law appellate
remedies does not render the proviso of Section 25(2) applicable
in situations where, following criminal law appeals, an
individual files for constitutional redress.
CCPR/C/43/D/230/1987
English
Annex
Page 8
6.3 Furthermore, the State party challenges the Committee's
interpretation of the relationship between Section 25(2) and a
fundamental human right protected by Chapter Three of the
Jamaican Constitution: even if Chapter Three of the Constitution
grants a specific right such as protection from arbitrary arrest
or detention (Section 15), the Committee would test the
applicability of Section 25(2) in relation to the Supreme Court's
powers regarding the right of an individual to seek enforcement
and protection of such a right; since that specific question had
not been the subject of judicial determination by the domestic
courts, the Committee would be able to conclude that the remedy
does not exist and is not available. In the State party's
opinion, this approach has the result that the Committee would
conclude that many of the rights set forth in the Jamaican and
Westminster Model Constitutions are not existent or not
available, on the ground that the issue of the applicability of
Section 25(2) had not been subject to judicial determination by
the courts.
6.4 In respect of the absence of legal aid for the filing of
constitutional motions, the State party submits that nothing in
the Optional Protocol or in customary international law would
support the contention that an individual is relieved of the
obligation to exhaust domestic remedies on the grounds that there
is no provision for legal aid and that his indigence has
prevented him from resorting to an available remedy. In this
connection, the State party observes that the Covenant only
imposes a duty to provide legal aid in respect of criminal
offenses (article 14, paragraph
3(d)). Furthermore, international conventions dealing with
economic, social and cultural rights do not impose an unqualified
obligation on States to implement such rights: article 2 of the
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights,
for instance, provides for the progressive realization of
economic rights and relates to the "capacity of implementation"
of States. In the circumstances, the State party argues that it
is incorrect to infer from the author's indigence and the absence
of legal aid in respect of the right to apply for constitutional
redress that the remedy is necessarily non-existent or
unavailable. Accordingly, the State party requests the Committee
to review its decision on admissibility.
6.5 In June 1991, counsel informed the Committee that the
Supreme (Constitutional) Court had rendered its judgment in the
cases of Earl Pratt and Ivan Morgan, on whose behalf
CCPR/C/43/D/230/1987
English
Annex
Page 9
On 6 April 1989, the Human Rights Committee had adopted
3
its Views under article 5, paragraph 4, of the Optional Protocol
in respect of these cases: see CCPR/C/35/D/210/1986 and
225/1987.
constitutional motions had been filed earlier in 1991.
In the
3
light of this judgment and in order better to appreciate whether
recourse to the Supreme (Constitutional) Court was a remedy which
the author had to exhaust for purposes of the Optional Protocol,
the Committee adopted an interlocutory decision during its 42nd
session, on 24 July 1991. In this decision, the State party was
requested to provide detailed information on the availability of
legal aid or free legal representation for the purpose of
constitutional motions, as well as examples of such cases in
which legal aid might have been granted or free legal
representation might have been procured by applicants. The State
party did not forward this information within the deadline set by
the Committee, that is, 26 September 1991. By submission of 10
October 1991 concerning another case, it replied that no
provision for legal aid in respect of constitutional motions is
made under Jamaican law, and that the Covenant does not require
States parties to provide legal aid for this purpose.
6.6
In the above interlocutory decision, as well as the decision
on admissibility, the State party was requested to also provide
information and observations in respect of the substance of the
author's allegations. In the interlocutory decision of 24 July
1991, the Committee added that should no comments be forthcoming
from the State party on the merits of the author's allegations,
it might decide to give due consideration to these allegations.
In spite of the Committee's requests, the State party did not
provide any information and observations in respect of the
substance of the author's allegations.
Post-admissibility proceedings and examination of merits
:
7.1 In the light of the above, the Committee decides to proceed
with its consideration of the communication. It has taken note
of the State party's request that it review its decision on
admissibility, in the light of the arguments outlined in
paragraphs 6.1 to 6.4 above.
7.2 The State party argues that the proviso to Section 25(2) of
the Jamaican Constitution cannot apply in the case, as the
alleged breach of the right to a fair trial was not the subject
CCPR/C/43/D/230/1987
English
Annex
Page 10
matter of the appeals to the Court of Appeal and the Judicial
Committee. Based on the material placed before the Committee by
the author, this statement would appear to be incorrect. The
author's notice of appeal, dated 11 March 1985, clearly refers to
"unfair trial" as one of the grounds of appeal. If the Court of
Appeal did not examine this ground - and there is no means of
ascertaining whether it did, since it only delivered an oral
judgment - the responsibility does not lie with the author, and
it cannot be argued that he did not attempt to exhaust local
remedies in respect of this issue. Furthermore, the issue of
whether or not a particular claim was the subject of a criminal
appeal should not necessarily depend upon the semantic expression
given to a claim, but on its underlying reasons. Looked at from
this broader perspective, Mr. Henry was in fact also complaining
to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council that his trial had
been unfair, in violation of Section 20 of the Jamaican
Constitution. Furthermore, the courts of every State party
should ex officio test whether the lower court proceedings
observed all the guarantees of a fair trial,
a fortiori in
capital punishment cases.
7.3
The Committee recalls that by submission of 10 October 1991
in a different case, the State party indicated that legal aid is
not provided for constitutional motions. In the view of the
Committee, this supports the finding made in its decision on
admissibility, that a constitutional motion is not an available
remedy which must be exhausted for purposes of the Optional
Protocol. In this context, the Committee observes that it is not
the author's indigence which absolves him from pursuing
constitutional remedies, but the State party's unwillingness or
inability to provide legal aid for this purpose.
7.4
The State party claims that it has no obligation under the
Covenant to make legal aid available in respect of constitutional
motions, as such motions do not involve the determination of a
criminal charge, as required by article 14, paragraph 3(d), of
the Covenant. But the issue before the Committee has not been
raised in the context of article 14, paragraph 3(d), but only in
the context of whether domestic remedies have been exhausted.
7.5 Moreover, the Committee notes that the author was arrested
in 1984, tried and convicted in 1985 and that his appeal was
dismissed in 1986. The Committee deems that for purposes of
article 5, paragraph 2(b), of the Optional Protocol, a further
CCPR/C/43/D/230/1987
English
Annex
Page 11
appeal to the Supreme (Constitutional) Court would, in the
circumstances of the case, entail an unreasonable prolongation of
the application of domestic remedies.
7.6 For the above reasons, the Committee maintains that a
constitutional motion does not constitute a remedy which is both
available and effective within the meaning of article 5,
paragraph 2(b), of the Optional Protocol. Accordingly, there is
no reason to reverse the decision on admissibility of 15 March
1990.
8.1 With respect to the alleged violation of article 14 of the
Covenant, four issues are before the Committee: (a) whether the
author had adequate time for the preparation of his defence; (b)
whether he could have witnesses on his behalf examined under the
same conditions as the witnesses against him; (c) whether the
author's legal representation before the Court of Appeal was in
conformity with that required under article 14, paragraph 3(d);
and (d) whether any violation of the Covenant ensued from the
Court of Appeal's failure to issue a written judgment after
dismissing his appeal.
8.2 In respect of the first claim, the State party has not
denied the author's claim that he did not have adequate time for
the preparation of his defence, that his opportunities to consult
with counsel prior to the trial were minimal, and that his
defence actually was prepared on the first day of the trial. The
Committee cannot ascertain, however, whether the court actually
denied counsel adequate time for the preparation of the defence.
Similarly, the Committee cannot ascertain whether the prosecution
witnesses were not properly cross-examined because of objections
on the part of the court or because of a professional judgment
made by author's counsel. In the circumstances, the material
before the Committee does not suffice for a finding of a
violation of article 14, paragraphs 3(b) and (e).
8.3 As to Mr. Henry's representation before the Court of Appeal,
the Committee reaffirms that it is axiomatic that legal
assistance must be available to a convicted prisoner under
sentence of death. This applies to all the stages of the
judicial proceedings. In Mr. Henry's case, it is uncontested
that legal counsel was available to him for the appeal: the
appeal form, dated 11 March 1985, reveals that the author did not
CCPR/C/43/D/230/1987
English
Annex
Page 12
wish to be represented before the Court of
Appeal by a court-appointed lawyer, but by counsel of his own
choice, whose services he had the means to secure, and that he
wished to attend the hearing of the appeal. What is at issue is
whether the author had the right to be present during the appeal
although he was represented by legal counsel, albeit by
substitute counsel. The Committee considers that once the author
opted for representation by counsel of his choice, any decision
by this counsel relating to the conduct of the appeal, including
a decision to send a substitute to the hearing and not to arrange
for the author to be present, cannot be attributed to the State
party but instead lies within the author's responsibility; in the
circumstances, the latter cannot claim that the fact that he was
absent during the hearing of the appeal constituted a violation
of the Covenant. Accordingly, the Committee concludes that
article 14, paragraph 3(d), has not been violated.
8.4 It remains for the Committee to decide whether the failure
of the Court of Appeal of Jamaica to issue a written judgment
violated any of the author's rights under the Covenant. Article
14, paragraph 5, of the Covenant guarantees the right of
convicted persons to have the conviction and sentence reviewed
"by a higher tribunal according to law". In this context, the
author has claimed that, because of the non-availability of the
written judgment, he was denied the possibility of effectively
appealing to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, which
allegedly routinely dismisses petitions which are not accompanied
by the written judgment of the lower court. In this connection,
the Committee has examined the question whether article 14,
paragraph 5, guarantees the right to a single appeal to a higher
tribunal or whether it guarantees the possibility of further
appeals when these are provided for by the law of the State
concerned. The Committee observes that the Covenant does not
require States parties to provide for several instances of
appeal. However, the words "according to law" in article 14,
paragraph 5, are to be interpreted to mean that if domestic law
provides for further instances of appeal, the convicted person
must have effective access to each of them. Moreover, in order
to enjoy the effective use of this right, the convicted person is
entitled to have, within a reasonable time, access to written
judgments, duly reasoned, for all instances of appeal. Thus,
while Mr. Henry did exercise a right to appeal to "a higher
tribunal" by having the judgment of the Portland Circuit Court
reviewed by the Jamaican Court of Appeal, he still has a right to
a higher appeal protected by article 14, paragraph 5, of the
Covenant, because article 110 of the Jamaican Constitution
CCPR/C/43/D/230/1987
English
Annex
Page 13
See CCPR/C/21/Rev.1, page 7, paragraph 7.
4
provides for the possibility of appealing from a decision of the
Jamaican Court of Appeal to the Judicial Committee of the Privy
Council in London. The Committee therefore finds that Mr.
Henry's right under article 14, paragraph 5, was violated by the
failure of the Court of Appeal to issue a written judgment.
8.5 The Committee is of the opinion that the imposition of a
sentence of death upon conclusion of a trial in which the
provisions of the Covenant have not been respected constitutes,
if no further appeal against the sentence is available, a
violation of article 6 of the Covenant. As the Committee noted
in its General Comment 6(16), the provision that a sentence of
death may be imposed only in accordance with the law and not
contrary to the provisions of the Covenant implies that "the
procedural guarantees therein prescribed must be observed,
including the right to a fair hearing by an independent
tribunal, the presumption of innocence, the minimum guarantees
for the defence, and the right to review by a higher tribunal".
4
In the present case, since the final sentence of death was passed
and an important requirement set forth in article 14 was not met,
it must be concluded that the right protected by article 6 of the
Covenant has been violated.
9. The Human Rights Committee, acting under article 5, paragraph
4, of the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights, is of the view that the facts before
the Committee disclose a violation of article 14, paragraph 5,
and consequently of article 6 of the Covenant.
10. In capital punishment cases, the obligation of States parties
to observe rigorously all the guarantees for a fair trial set out
in article 14 of the Covenant admits of no exception. The
Committee is of the view that Mr. Raphael Henry, a victim of a
violation of article 14, paragraph 5, and consequently of
article 6, is entitled, according to article 2, paragraph 3(a),
of the Covenant, to an effective remedy, in this case entailing
his release; the State party is under an obligation to take
measures to ensure that similar violations do not occur in the
future.
CCPR/C/43/D/230/1987
English
Annex
Page 14
11. The Committee would wish to receive information, within
ninety days, on any relevant measures taken by the State party in
respect of the Committee's Views.
[Done in English, French, Russian and Spanish, the English text
being the original version.]
-*-