Expresses its indignation at the failure of the State party’s authorities to comply with the Committee’s request for interim measures of protection pursuant to rule 86 of the Committee’s rules of procedure; the attitude displayed by the State party is all the more regrettable as it concerned cases involving capital punishment of which the Committee was properly seized and was competent to examine, and as it occurred in the context of the consideration of the first cases submitted to the Committee since the Optional Protocol entered into force for Sierra Leone on 23 November 1996;
Recalls that the State party, upon ratifying the Optional Protocol, undertook to cooperate with the Committee under the procedure, and emphasizes that the State party has failed to comply with its obligations, both under the Optional Protocol and under the Covenant;
Deplores the State party’s failure to make available, as requested by the Committee, specific clarifications of the circumstances surrounding the executions;
Decides to continue the consideration of the above mentioned communications under the Optional Protocol;
Strongly urges the State party to ensure, by all means at its disposal, that situations similar to those surrounding the executions of the above mentioned persons do not recur; in particular, the Committee urges compliance with its rule 86 requests in other cases of a similar nature of which the Committee is seized;
Urges the State party to present without delay its initial report under article 40 of the Covenant, which was due on 22 November 1997, for discussion by the Committee at its 65 session in March/April 1999 th and, in any event, to submit by 15 February 1999 a report, in summary form if necessary, relating in particular to the application at the present time of articles 6, 7 and 14 of the Covenant;
Requests the Secretary-General to bring this decision to the attention to the Government of Sierra Leone.