415. The Committee considered the second periodic (CCPR/C/42/Add.7 and 11) at its 1051st to 1054th 5 April 1991 (see CCPR/C/SR.l051-1054). report of Panama meetings, held on 4 and 416. The report was introduced by the representative of the State party, who observed that on 20 December 1989 a democratically elected Government had taken power from the military dictatorship that had ruled since 1968. The current Government had the political will to promote human rights and had taken steps to improve the human rights situation in Panama, although most of the people in Panama were somewhat ignorant of the international system for the protection of human rights. and -work * . wit&a~&& the Cove- is. v. 417. With regard to that issue , members of the Committee ?:ished to know what the status of the Covenant was relative to Panamanian domestic legislation; how conflict between a provision of the Covenant and domestic law would be resolved; whether a subsequent law could suspend the Covenant: whether provisions of the Covenant could be invoked directly before the administrative whether there had been any instances where thi.6 had authorities and courts; actually been done and, if so, with what results: whether the removal, pursuant to Act No. 33 of 1914, of one of the generic remedies applicable in administrative mattctrs had in fact been advantageous to individuals: and what activities relating to the promotion of greater awareness on the part of the relevant administrative authorities as well as the public at large of the provisions of the Covenant and the Optional Protocol had been undertaken. 418. In addition, members of the Committee wished to know whether a specific legal provision had been adopted to incorporate the Covenant into Panamanian law; whether the Government would consider seeking a declaratory judgement on the status of the Covenant from the Supreme Court: and why individual Panamanians did not invoke the Covenant and submit communications to the Commi t tee. Further information was sought regarding the ongoing process of constitutional reform, particularly with regard to the abolition of the army, the establishment of a police force responsible for national security, and Members of the Committee also wished to have changes in the judiciary. information on the legal situation prevalent in Panama as a result of the including the measures adopted to guarantee to citizens the rights invasion, set forth in the Covenant, especially in view of the presence of foreign troops that exercised internal control with the consent of the Government; on the legal basis of confiscation, without legal process, of property belonging to alleged collaborators with the former regime: on any steps proposed to compensate victims in various areas of Panama City and Colon whose homes and wurkplaces had been destroyed by bombing! and on the recent actions taken to investigate cases of disappearances and deaths. 419. With regard to remedies, members of the Committee wished to know how m operated; how often the right of m had been exercised by individuals; what the relationship was between h,&~%#mrw and w and whether a detainee could in fact seek relief through both measures: what safeguards were offered to individuals under the Administrative Code; whether the right of appeal against a decision of the administrative court still -104-