UNITED NATIONS CCPR International covenant on civil and political rights Distr. GENERAL CCPR/C/79/Add.79 4 August 1997 Original: ENGLISH HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION OF REPORTS SUBMITTED BY STATES PARTIES UNDER ARTICLE 40 OF THE COVENANT Concluding observations of the Human Rights Committee Slovakia 1. The Committee considered the initial report of Slovakia (CCPR/C/81/Add.9) at its 1589th to 1591st meetings on 15 and 16 July 1997 and subsequently adopted, at its 1611th meeting (sixtieth session), held on 30 July 1997, the following observations: A. Introduction 2. The Committee welcomes the initial report of Slovakia and the constructive dialogue with the Committee. The Committee notes with regret that although the report contained comprehensive information on prevailing constitutional and legislative norms in the field of human rights, it did not provide specific information on the implementation of the Covenant in practice. However, the Committee expresses its appreciation for the answers provided by the delegation to questions asked in the course of the discussion, which enabled it to obtain a somewhat clearer picture of the actual human rights situation in the country. B. Factors and difficulties affecting the implementation of the Covenant 3. The Committee is aware that Slovakia is still in a period of transition from an authoritarian to a democratic system and that it recently acquired its independence after the dissolution of the Czech and Slovak Federation. The Committee notes with concern that the remnants of the former totalitarian rule GE.97-17744 (E)