forwarded message

[Mari Rhydwen]

Re Michael Krauss and Article 27 of the ICCPR. It is important for
people to know how Art. 27 has been interpreted. In April 1994 the UN
Human Rights Committee published a General Comment on Art. 27 which
is expremenly important. Instead of the traditional interpretation
(only negative rights; vague or no duties for the state; the state
can decide whether it has any minorities; immigrants are excluded),
it interprets it in a substantially more positive way for all
minorities: there is a positive right; the state has duties; the
existence of a minority has to be decided on objective grounds;
immigrants and refugees can be included among the beneficiaries -
this is real shorthand. - I don't have any references at the
university now, sorry, but any human rights layer can supply them.

Tove

Tove Skutnabb-Kangas, Roskilde University, Dept of Languages and
Culture, 3.2.4., PB 260, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark, phone 45-46-75 77
11/2740, fax 45-46-75 44 10, private: Troenninge Mose 3, DK-4420
Regstrup, Denmark, phone 45-53-46 44 12
email: TOVESK at babel.ruc.dk

Mari Rhydwen, Communication Studies,Humanities, Perth, WA 6150, Australia

Telephone: 09 360 2217  Fax: 09 360 6367