Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

Eighty- session

13 February – 9 March 2012

Implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination

List of themes to be taken up in connection with the consideration of the sixth and seventh periodic reports of Turkmenistan (CERD/C/TKM/6-7)*

The following is a list of themes identified by the Country Rapporteur in connection with the consideration of the sixth and seventh periodic reports of Turkmenistan. The list is meant to guide the dialogue between the State party delegation and the Committee and does not require written replies. This is not an exhaustive list as other issues will be raised in the course of the dialogue.

1.The Convention in domestic law and legislative and policy measures for its implementation (arts. 1, 2, 4, 5 and 7).

(a)Information about the direct applicability of the Convention in the domestic legal order, including the illustrative cases of its direct and indirect application before judicial and administrative bodies;

(b)Efforts to establish an independent national human rights institution, in accordance with the Principles relating to the status of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights.

2.Application of the Convention to members of minorities, in the exercise of their civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights (arts. 2 and 5).

(a)Data on the ethnic composition of the population of Turkmenistan;

(b)Participation of members of national minorities in political and public life (parliament, government, local bodies, justice; forms of their involvement in decision-making processes on issues concerning them);

(c)Data on access to public sector employment and to higher education of members of ethnic or national minorities;

(d)Data on schools and classes providing education in and of minority languages;

(e)Information about cultural institutions and facilities for national and ethnic minorities;

(f)Problems related to dual citizenship and their direct and indirect consequences for the persons concerned.

3.Access to justice and availability of remedies in cases of racial discrimination (arts. 4 and 6)

(a)Number and nature of complaints submitted to the State Commission in the Office of the President to review complaints by citizens;

(b)Avenues of redress to all victims of racial discrimination, availability of civil law remedies including compensation and reparation and measures to ensure victim’s access to justice.