The General Assembly,
 
      Reaffirming that all Member States have an obligation to promote and
protect human rights and fundamental freedoms, as stated in the Charter of the
United Nations and elaborated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and
other applicable human rights instruments,
 
      Noting that Cuba is a party to the Convention against Torture and Other
Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment,
 
      Reaffirming also that all States have an obligation to fulfil the
commitments they have freely undertaken under the various international
instruments,
 
      Taking particular note of Commission on Human Rights resolution 1996/69
of 23 April 1996, in which the Commission recognized with deep appreciation
the past efforts of the Special Rapporteur concerning the situation of human
rights in Cuba and extended his mandate for one year,
 
      Expressing concern about continuing serious violations of human rights
in Cuba, the majority of which are violations of civil and political rights,
as outlined in the interim report on the situation of human rights in Cuba
submitted to the General Assembly by the Special Rapporteur,
 
      Deploring, in this regard, the arbitrary arrest, detention and
harassment of Cuban citizens, particularly members of the Concilio Cubano, a
group coordinating the activities of dozens of human rights groups, seeking to
exercise their human rights and fundamental freedoms,
 
      Recalling the continued refusal of the Government of Cuba to cooperate
with the Commission on Human Rights with regard to its resolution 1996/69,
including its repeated opposition to a visit to Cuba by the Special
Rapporteur,
 
      1.    Commends the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights
for his interim report on the situation of human rights in Cuba;
 
      2.    Expresses its full support for the work of the Special Rapporteur;
 
      3.    Calls once more upon the Government of Cuba to cooperate fully
with the Special Rapporteur by permitting him full and free access to
establish contact with the Government and the citizens of Cuba so that he may
fulfil the mandate entrusted to him;
 
      4.    Regrets profoundly the numerous violations of human rights and
fundamental freedoms in Cuba, as described in the report of the Special
Rapporteur to the Commission on Human Rights and in his interim report;
 
      5.    Urges the Government of Cuba to ensure freedom of expression and
assembly and the freedom to demonstrate peacefully, including by allowing
political parties and non-governmental organizations to function freely in the
country and by reforming legislation in this area;
 
      6.    Calls especially upon the Government of Cuba to release the
numerous persons detained for activities of a political nature, including
those specifically mentioned in the report of the Special Rapporteur, who
suffer from inadequate medical care while imprisoned or whose rights as
journalists or jurists are impeded or denied;
 
      7.    Calls upon the Government of Cuba to carry out the recommendations
contained in the interim report of the Special Rapporteur to bring its
observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms in Cuba into conformity
with international standards and applicable international human rights
instruments and to end all violations of human rights including, in
particular, the detention and imprisonment of human rights defenders and
others who are engaged in the peaceful exercise of their rights, and to grant
access to its prisons to non-governmental humanitarian organizations and
international humanitarian agencies;
 
      8.    Decides to continue its consideration of this question at its
fifty- second session.