a mock trial, which revealed that he had committed no crime other than to attempt conscientiously to report the news. The Council's resolution on the treatment of foreign correspondents was strongly supported in the sixth session of the General Assembly by the United States representative, Channing H. Tobias. Dr. Tobias and others condemned the Czechoslovakian Government for its suppression of freedom of the press and its disregard of the elementary principles of justice in the Oatis case. Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities The Subcommission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities held its fourth session in New York in October 1951. This group of experts, appointed directly by the United Nations to make recommendations to the Commission on Human Rights, includes Jonathan Daniels of the United States. The problems dealt with by this group are exceedingly complex. To clarify its work, the subcommission has tried to define carefully what is meant by a minority and the extent to which a distinctive population group can expect and may need special protection. It has emphasized in its discussions that minorities must be loyal to the state of which they are nationals. Many of the rights traditionally desired by minorities, such as freedom of religion, speech, assembly, and association, are already proclaimed for all persons in the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. The subcommission accordingly made recommendations for additional action only on matters not included in the Declaration. One such matter involves the right of minority groups to use their traditional language as a means of maintaining their cultural heritage. The subcommission recommended that governments should provide as a minimum in areas where a minority represents a considerable portion of the population (1) for the use of the minority language in judicial procedure where the member of the minority does not speak or understand the language ordinarily used in the courts and (2) for the teaching of the minority languages in state-supported schools provided the minority groups request it. The subcommission also reviewed the activities of UNESCO in the field of prevention of discrimination and protection of minorities and commended especially an on-the-spot study being conducted in Brazil. It urged that attention be given to eliminating discrimination against persons born out of wedlock and to providing protection for political groups and media. 1951 ther Status of Women The 1951 report of the Secretary-General on women's political rights showed that one more country, Haiti, had granted local suffrage to women with an assurance of equal political rights at a later date. The Haitian action brought to 22 the number of countries which have granted suffrage rights to women since the signing of the United Nations Charter in 1945. The report showed that women now have equal political rights in 56 countries, limited or local suffrage rights in 9 more, and lack suffrage in 15 countries. The Commission on the Status of Women, the United Nations organ responsible for international activities in this and related fields, held its fifth session at Lake Success from April 30 to May 14, 1951. The United States was represented by Mrs. Olive Remington Goldman. The careful preparation and research planned in earlier sessions enabled the Commission to deal promptly with questions of increasing scope and importance. One of these questions under consideration for several years was a draft convention on political rights for women. The Commission recommended a text which was later examined by the Economic and Social Council and forwarded to governments for comment. The United States supported this draft convention, reserving its position on article 3, which deals with appointive office and public functions. The Commission also approved the draft text of a pamphlet entitled Political Education for Women, designed for use in countries where women had recently achieved suffrage. The Commission also continued to press for a new convention on the nationality of married women to embody principles approved at its 1950 meeting. It reviewed its recommendations for wider recognition of women in the work of the United Nations and suggested especially that consideration be given to including women in visiting missions to trust territories. In addition, the Commission reviewed replies of member governments to questions concerning public services and functions, civil liberties, and fiscal laws. It was noted that obstacles still exist in some countries with regard to the access to and appointment of women to public services and functions and that these discriminations were directed especially against the employment of married women. The Commission expressed the hope that these inequalities would be promptly removed and invited governments to supply information bringing their earlier replies up to date. At its annual conference in June 1951 the International Labor Organization completed a convention on equal remuneration for work of equal value and recommendations to governments on giving practical effect to this principle. The United States voted for both the convention, which called for promotion of the principle, and for the recommendations. This action brought to fruition the project undertaken by the ILO in 1948, in response to a request of the Economic and Social Council and a recommendation by the Commission on the Status of Women, that the ILO take immediate steps to implement the principle of "equal pay for equal work." Since the ILO constitution originally included the principle of equal remuneration for work of equal value, it was able to concentrate on this project considerable experience and research. The convention and recommendations were forwarded to governments for ratification. Genocide The genocide convention which had been opened for signature in December 1948 entered into force on January 12, 1951, upon the ratification by the required 20 states. This convention, which grew out of the Nazi atrocities of World War II, was designed to establish genocide as a crime under international law which would be punishable in accordance with national legislation enacted by the contracting state. Genocide is defined in the convention as― any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such: (a) Killing members of the group; (b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; (c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; (d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; (e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group. On June 16, 1949, this convention was submitted to the Senate for its advice and consent to ratification, with a recommendation for favorable action. Although a subcommittee of the Foreign Relations Committee recommended favorable action, the Committee itself had not acted by March 1952. The failure of the United States to ratify this convention is regrettable, and it is hoped that the United States before too long will join the growing number of countries which are determined to prevent and punish the hideous crime of genocide. States which had ratified the genocide convention by the end of 1951 were as follows: Australia, Belgium, Cambodia, Ceylon, China, Costa Rica, Denmark, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ethiopia, France, Guatemala, Haiti, Iceland, Israel, Jordan (Hashemite Kingdom), Korea, Laos, Liberia, Monaco, Norway, Panama, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Vietnam, and Yugoslavia. Human Rights Violations The General Assembly in November 1950 had condemned the refusal of Bulgaria, Hungary, and Rumania to fulfill their obligations under the treaties of peace in connection with the charges that they had violated these provisions of the treaties dealing with human rights. In addition, the Assembly had invited member states to submit evidence on this matter to the Secretary-General of the United Nations. In November 1951 the United States submitted the first installment of the evidence which it had prepared on this question. This dealt with the Rumanian Government's violation of its treaty obligations. relating to freedom of expression and of press and publication as provided in the treaty. The United States plans to submit additional evidence dealing with Bulgaria and Hungary. While there was no specific item dealing with these human-rights violations before the sixth session of the General Assembly, United States representatives continued to stress the widespread and serious violations of human rights within the Soviet orbit. For example, Secretary Acheson in his opening speech on November 8, 1951, called attention to the recent mass deportations in Eastern Europe and other Soviet attempts to crush human freedom, pointing out that "These calculated denials of basic human rights are a matter of concern to the world community." The United States intends to continue expressing its concern over the systematic violations of human rights and the barbarous practices of mass extermination and deportation in Eastern Europe and to expose these fully to world indignation. ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS Significant steps forward were taken during 1951 to improve the organization of the manifold economic and social activities carried on within the United Nations system. The Economic and Social Council and its commissions and subsidiary bodies were reorganized. In addition, there was considerable emphasis on the coordination of equal value and recommendations to governments on giving practical effect to this principle. The United States voted for both the convention, which called for promotion of the principle, and for the recommendations. This action brought to fruition the project undertaken by the ILO in 1948, in response to a request of the Economic and Social Council and a recommendation by the Commission on the Status of Women, that the ILO take immediate steps to implement the principle of “equal pay for equal work." Since the ILO constitution originally included the principle of equal remuneration for work of equal value, it was able to concentrate on this project considerable experience and research. The convention and recommendations were forwarded to governments for ratification. Genocide The genocide convention which had been opened for signature in December 1948 entered into force on January 12, 1951, upon the ratification by the required 20 states. This convention, which grew out of the Nazi atrocities of World War II, was designed to establish genocide as a crime under international law which would be punishable in accordance with national legislation enacted by the contracting state. Genocide is defined in the convention as― any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such : (a) Killing members of the group; (b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; (c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; (d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; (e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group. On June 16, 1949, this convention was submitted to the Senate for its advice and consent to ratification, with a recommendation for favorable action. Although a subcommittee of the Foreign Relations Committee recommended favorable action, the Committee itself had not acted by March 1952. The failure of the United States to ratify this convention is regrettable, and it is hoped that the United States before too long will join the growing number of countries which are determined to prevent and punish the hideous crime of genocide. States which had ratified the genocide convention by the end of 1951 were as follows: Australia, Belgium, Cambodia, Ceylon, China, Costa Rica, Denmark, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ethiopia, France, Guatemala, |