of habeus corpus and amparo. The judicial system also suffered because of the lack of job security and of a merit system of judicial appointment. As a result of the lack of a strong and independent judiciary, the rule of law in Guatemala had virtually disappeared during the past year along with the thousands of Guatemalan victims. 31. Mr. LITTMAN (World Union for Progressive Judaism) said that he would confine himself to the prevention of hostage-taking under agenda item lO(a); however, his full statement was available. 32. Since 1986 he had consistently delivered oral and written statements to the Commission on Human Rights and to the Sub-Commission on the thematic question of hostage-taking for political, religous or ethnic reasons, a subject curiously avoided in plenary meetings until 1989, when the E/CN.4/Sub.2/1990/SR.26 page 6 Sub-Commission had adopted resolutions 1989/26 and 1989/29 following the savage televised execution of the Commander of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization, Lieut.Col. William R. Higgins in southern Lebanon. Hostage-taking was usually given short shrift at the Commission, too, other than through the adoption of a blanket resolution against it. The omission in Commission resolution 1989/26 of the preambular clause that had appeared in earlier resolutions and had noted with concern the increasing number of instances of hostage-taking involving, more and more often, nationals of States chosen in order to put pressure on those States or on third parties was revealing. Yet that had always been a very pertinent aspect of the issue, especially as the names of the four States behind international terrorism were common knowledge, the more so to-day as a result of the events in the Gulf region. In view of the recent largest-ever hostage haul to date for the purpose of blackmail -undertaken by a member State of the United Nations -it 
**Analysis**
The text discusses the state of human rights in Guatemala and the lack of a strong and independent judiciary, which led to the disappearance of the rule of law. It also touches on the topic of hostage-taking and the lack of attention given to it by the Commission on Human Rights. The text does not appear to be related to economic or environmental issues, but rather focuses on human rights and political issues.

**Category**
Humanitarian aid and relief, Education