GA/AP/628/HR/1418, 7 February 1977
The Special Committee against Apartheid has asked the Commission on Human Rights to take steps for a thorough international investigation of all available information concerning "the crimes of the apartheid regime" in South Africa "and the organizations and individuals responsible for those crimes".
The Acting Chairman of the Committee, Vladimir N. Martynenko (Ukraine), sent a letter to Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim on 4 February, on behalf of the Committee, for transmittal to the Commission on Human Rights, which opened a session today in Geneva.
The text of the letter is as follows:
The Special Committee against Apartheid has been gravely concerned over the unceasing acts of brutality by the apartheid regime in South Africa, and its police forces, especially since the massacre of schoolchildren in Soweto on 16 June 1976, in a vain attempt to suppress the national upsurge of the oppressed people against the criminal policy of apartheid.
Even according to information provided by the apartheid regime and the South African press, over 400 black people have been killed by the police since 16 June 1976. Thousands of persons have been injured and several thousand imprisoned. Numerous persons-including children-have been sentenced by racist courts to long terms of imprisonment and flogging. Even an 8-year-old African child was sentenced in Port Elizabeth on 16 September 1976 to five cuts on the charge of attending an illegal gathering.
The Minister of Police and Justice of the apartheid regime, Mr. J. Kruger, said in a recent interview that a number of Africans, allegedly belonging to the African National Congress of South Africa, had been arrested in recent swoops throughout the country. He said that no less than 52 trials would take place in various regions of the country under the notorious Terrorism Act of 1967 which has been condemned by the United Nations and the international community as violating all canons of the rule of law.
The regime is now proceeding to enact new legislation to enable it to exercise wartime powers to suppress popular resistance to apartheid. It has persecuted a number of journalists in order to prevent the publication of police atrocities in the African townships, and intends to enforce new restrictions on the press.
The Special Committee recalls that, in its report to the thirty-first session of the General Assembly it had pointed out that the South African police had resorted to massive and indiscriminate violence to suppress the resistance, and gave examples of police brutality. Despite widespread demands in South Africa, the regime has failed to restrain the police and refused to set up a judicial enquiry. Instead, it has proceeded to commend the police for their actions.
The Special Committee is alarmed at numerous reports of torture of political prisoners, which have come to light in recent trials, and at the death of a number of patriots who have been detained incommunicado at the mercy of the Security Police. Fourteen political detainees are known to have died in custody in the past year and some particulars on them are enclosed with this letter.
The Special Committee considers it imperative that the United Nations and the international community must take speedy and effective action to stop these crimes in South Africa and punish the perpetrators.
It considers it essential that the Commission on Human Rights should urgently consider the matter and take steps for a thorough international investigation of all available information concerning the crimes of the apartheid regime and the organizations and individuals responsible for those crimes, with special reference to police brutality against unarmed demonstrators and all opponents of apartheid since the Soweto massacre, and the torture and killing of patriots in prisons and police custody. It would suggest that the Commission should issue a special appeal to all Member States, which have not yet done so, to accede to the International Convention for the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid, and effectively implement it.
The Special Committee has requested and authorized its Chairman to make a statement before the Commission on Human Rights on this matter or to depute a representative for that purpose.
I would be grateful if you would be kind enough to transmit this letter to the Commission on Human Rights for its urgent attention.