Situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms in El Salvador.

  The General Assembly, Guided by the principles embodied in the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Conscious of its responsibility in all circumstances to promote and encourage respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, Reiterating that the Governments of all Member States have an obligation to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms and to carry out responsibilities they have undertaken under various international human rights instruments, Determined to remain vigilant with regard to violations of human rights wherever they occur and to take measures in order to restore respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, Recalling that, in its resolutions 35/192 of 15 December 1980 and 36/155 of 6 December 1981, it expressed its deep concern for the situation of human rights in El Salvador, especially in view of the death of thousands of people, the climate of violence and insecurity prevailing in that country, and the impunity of paramilitary forces and other armed groups, Bearing in mind Commission on Human Rights resolutions 32 (XXXVII) of 11 March 1981, in which the Commission decided to appoint a Special Representative on the situation of human rights in El Salvador, and 1982/28 of 11 March 1982, whereby it extended the mandate of the Special Representative for another year and requested him to report, inter alia, to the General Assembly at its thirty-seventh session, Taking note of resolutions 10 (XXXIV) and 1982/26 of the Sub-Commission on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination and the Protection of Minorities, Taking note with grave concern of the interim report by the Special Representative, which confirms the unabated continuation of a climate of violence and insecurity in El Salvador with armed clashes, acts of terrorism and unbridled, large-scale and grave violations of human rights, as well as the failure of the judiciary to fulfil its duties to uphold the rule of law, Observing that the elections in El Salvador, as they were held in March 1982, have not led to the cessation of violence or to any improvement in the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms in that country,

1. Expresses its deepest concern at the continued and unbridled violations of human rights and at the resulting suffering of the Salvadorian people, and regrets that the appeals for the cessation of violence made by the General Assembly, the Commission on Human Rights and the international community in general, have not been heeded;

2. Draws again the attention of all Salvadorian parties concerned to the fact that the rules of international law, as contained in article

3 common to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949 on the laws of war, are applicable to armed conflicts not of an international character and requests all parties to the conflicts to apply a minimum standard of protection of human rights and of human treatment to the civilian population;

3. Notes that the situation in El Salvador, as clearly shown in the report of the Special Representative of the Commission on Human Rights, has its root causes in internal political, economic and social factors, and that conditions in El Salvador for the effective exercise of civil and political rights do not exist at the present time;

4. Reaffirms the right of the Salvadorian people to freely determine their political, economic and social future without interference from outside and in an atmosphere free from intimidation and terror from all parties;

5. Regrets that the Government of El Salvador has not responded to suggestions to initiate, through available channels, contacts to negotiate a peaceful settlement with all representative political forces in that country;

6. Calls again upon the parties in El Salvador to seek an end to all acts of violence in order to end the loss of lives and the suffering of the people of El Salvador;

7. Reiterates its appeal to the Government and other political forces in El Salvador to work together towards a comprehensive negotiated political solution in order to bring about a peaceful settlement and appropriate conditions for the establishment of a Government through free and unhampered elections, in an atmosphere free from intimidation and terror;

8. Reiterates its appeal to all States to abstain from intervening in the internal situation in El Salvador and to suspend all supplies of arms and any type of military assistance, so as to allow the political forces in that country to restore peace and security and to allow the establishment of a democratic system;

9. Strongly urges the Government of El Salvador to fulfil its obligations towards its citizens and to assume its international responsibilities in this regard by taking the necessary steps to ensure that human rights and fundamental freedoms are fully respected by all its agencies, including its security forces, and other armed organizations operating under its authority or with its permission;

10. Further urges the judiciary in El Salvador to assume their obligation to uphold the rule of law and to prosecute and to punish those found responsible for assassinations, acts of torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment;

11. Reiterates its call upon all Salvadorian parties concerned to co-operate fully and not to interfere with the activities of humanitarian organizations dedicated to alleviating the suffering of the civilian population, wherever these organizations operate in El Salvador;

12 Calls again upon the Government of El Salvador as well as all other parties concerned to continue to extend their co-operation to the Special Representative of the Commission on Human Rights;

13. Requests the Commission on Human Rights at its thirty-ninth session to continue to examine, as a matter of high priority, the situation in El Salvador on the basis of the report of the Special Representative of the Commission on Human Rights;

14. Decides to maintain under consideration, during its thirty-eighth session, the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms in El Salvador, in order to examine anew this situation in the light of additional elements provided by the Commission on Human Rights and the Economic and Social Council.