R.
Communication Mo. 397/1990, P.S. v. Denmark (decision
of 22 July 1992. adopted at the forty-fifth session1
Submitted by;
P.S. (name deleted)
Alleged victims:
The author and his son, X.S.
State party;
Denmark
Date of communication;
15 February 1990 (initial submission)
The Human Eights Committee, established under article 28 of the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Eights,
Meeting on 22 July 1992,
Adopts the following:
Decision on admissibility*
1.
The author of the communication (initial submission dated
15 February 1990 and subsequent submissions) is P.S./ a Danish citizen born in
1960. He submits the communication on his own behalf and that of his son,
T.S., born in January 1984. The author claims that he and his son are victims
of violations by Denmark of articles 14, paragraphs 2 and 3 (c), 17, 18, 21,
22, 23, 24, 26 and 27 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political
Eights.
Facts as submitted by the author
2.1 The author married in 1983. In 1986 he and his wife were separated by
decision of the County Authorities of North Jutland, which also decided on
joint custody of the son. In 1988 the Municipal Court of Varde pronounced the
divorce and awarded custody to the mother. The author appealed to the Court
of Appeal and claimed custody of his son. On 10 May 1988, the Court of Appeal
confirmed the Municipal Court's judgement in respect of the custody question.
2.2 During the proceedings, a temporary agreement on the right of access was
concluded between the author and his ex-wife; yet, after discovering that the
author had converted to the faith of Jehovah's Witnesses, and that he had
taken his son to a rally of Jehovah's Witnesses, the mother requested the
County Authorities in Odense to decide on her conditions for granting access
to T.S., under which the author had to refrain from teaching the faith of
Jehovah's Witnesses to his son. In this context, it is noted that, under
Danish law, the parent who has custody may decide on the child's religious
education.
*
An individual opinion submitted by Mr. Bertil Wennergren is
appended.
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