for immediate release

UNDCP ON CHINA: ON THE EVE OF THE JUNE UNGASS ON NARCOTICS, Mr. ARLACCHI PRAISES CHINESE INITIATIVES ON DRUGS, REGARDLESS OF THE SYSTEMATIC USE OF THE DEATH PENALTY AND HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS.

New York, May 13, 1998

In his worldwide tour to promote a "Drug free world", Mr. Arlacchi has recently visited China, where he has noted "the full success of the various initiatives which the Government of China is taking in the field of drug control." (UN Daily Highlights, 12 May, 1998)

China's policy of drug control implies the widespread use of the death penalty for drug dealers (and often also for consumers) and systematic incarcerations for users of any illicit drug. At the UN, on the drug issue, there seem to be radically different views. On one side we have the Human Rights Commission that in April, in Geneva adopts a strong resolution calling for a moratorium of capital executions, or the UNSG Kofi Annan and the High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson that only a few weeks ago called upon the Rwandan Government to stop the public executions of people held responsible for genocide. On the other side, we have UNDCP that openly endorses Human Rights violation policies (yesterday Afghanistan, today China, tomorrow Burma) for the sake of eradicating illicit substances all over the globe by 2008.

Art. 5, Universal Declaration of Human Rights says: "No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment".

The UN International Conventions on Narcotic Drugs establish a "minimum threshold" of prohibitionist laws and penalties that should be respected by the signatories. What is not included is a sort of "maximum threshold" that should prevent disproportionate penalties to be commended. Some States party to the Conventions commend the death penalty and life sentences for the simple consumption of illicit drugs. Such penalties should be considered inhuman or disproportionate if applied to persons whose only guilt is self-harming.

We call on responsible and coherent governments and NGOs that support Human Rights to stop this new path of "anti-drug efforts", on the eve of the UNGA Special Session on Narcotics that risks to be a unanimous forum for dangerous Machiavellian agreements at the cost of justice and human rights.

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