CHAPTER VIII
OBSCENE PUBLICATIONS6Agreement for the Repression of Obscene PublicationsParis, 4 May 191015 September 1911.5 July 1920, No. 221
The following list was provided by the Government of France at the time of the transfer to the Secretary-General of the depositary functions in respect of the Agreement(1) States which ratified the AgreementAustria-HungaryBelgiumBrazilDenmarkFranceGermanyGreat Britain and Northern IrelandItalyNetherlandsPortugalRussiaSpainSwitzerlandUnited States of America
(2) States which acceded to the AgreementAlbaniaBulgariaChina<superscript>2,3</superscript>Czechoslovakia<superscript>4</superscript>EgyptEstoniaFinlandIrelandLatviaLuxembourgMonacoNorwayPolandRomaniaSan MarinoSiam
(3) The Agreement was declared applicable to the following colonies, dominions and protectoratesAustraliaBahamasBarbadosBasutolandBechuanalandBelgian Congoand Ruanda-UrundiBermudaBritish East AfricaBritish GuianaBritish HondurasCanadaCeylonCyprusFalkland Islands (Malvinas)FijiGambiaGerman ColoniesGibraltarGilbert and Ellice IslandsGold CoastHong Kong<superscript>2</superscript>Iceland and Danish West IndiesIndiaIraqJamaicaKenyaLeeward Islands(Antigua, Dominica, Montserrat, St. Kitts-Nevis)Malay StatesMaltaMauritiusNetherlands East Indies, Surinam and CuraçaoNewfoundlandNew ZealandNorthern NigeriaNorthern RhodesiaNyasalandPalestineSt. HelenaSamoaSeychellesSierra LeoneSolomon IslandsSomalilandSouthern NigeriaSouthern RhodesiaSouth West AfricaStraits SettlementsSwazilandTanganyikaTransjordanTrinidad and TobagoTurks and Caicos IslandsUgandaUnion of South AfricaVirgin IslandsWei-hai-weiWestern Pacific IslandsWindward Islands (Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent)Zanzibar
(4) States which by their accession to or their ratification of the Convention of 12 September 1923 for the Suppression of the Circulation of, and Traffic in, Obscene Publications, ipso facto accepted the Agreement of 4 May 1910 by virtue of article10 of the Convention of 12 September 1923AfghanistanColombiaCubaSalvadorGreeceGuatemalaIranJapanMexicoParaguayTurkeyYugoslavia (former)<superscript>5</superscript>
Actions subsequent to the assumption of depositary functions by the Secretary-General of the United Nations
Participant<superscript>2,6</superscript>Acceptance(A)Accession(a), Succession(d)Czech Republic<superscript>4</superscript>30 Dec 1993 dFiji 1 Nov 1971 dLiberia16 Sep 2005 ASlovakia<superscript>4</superscript>28 May 1993 dZimbabwe 1 Dec 1998 d
1<i>British and Foreign State Papers </i>, volume 103, p. 251. This Agreement is listed under No. 22a in the League of Nations <i>Treaty Series </i> and in the United Nations <i>Treaty Series </i> (Annex C).2The Secretary-General, received on 6 and 10 June 1997, communications regarding the status of Hong Kong from China and the United Kingdom of Great Brtiain and Northern Ireland (see also note 2 under “China” and note 2 under “United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland” in the “Historical Information” section in the front matter of this volume). Upon resuming the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong, China notified the Secretary-General that the Agreement will also apply to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.3See note concerning signatures, ratifications, accessions, etc., on behalf of China (note 1 under “China” in the “Historical Information” section in the front matter of this volume).4See note 1 under “Czech Republic” and note 1 under “Slovakia” in the “Historical Information” section in the front matter of this volume.5See note 1 under “Bosnia and Herzegovina", "Croatia", "former Yugoslavia", "Slovenia", "The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" and "Yugoslavia" in the "Historical Information" section in the front matter of this volume.6In a communication received by the Secretary-General on 4 October 1974, the Government of the German Democratic Republic stated that the German Democratic Republic had declared the reapplication of the Convention as of 18 December 1958.In this connection, the Secretary-General received on 2 March 1976 the following communication from the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany:With reference to the communication by the German Democratic Republic of 30 September 1974, concerning the application, as from 18 December 1958, of the Agreement of 4 May 1910 for the Suppression of the Circulation of Obscene Publications, the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany declares that in the relation between the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic the declaration of application has no retroactive effect beyond 21 June 1973.Subsequently, in a communication received on 17 June 1976, the Government of the German Democratic Republic declared:"The Government of the German Democratic Republic takes the view that in accordance with the applicable rules of international law and the international practice of States the regulations on the reapplication of agreements concluded under international law are an internal affair of the successor State concerned. Accordingly, the German Democratic Republic was entitled to determine the date of reapplication of the Agreement for the Suppression of the Circulation of Obscene Publications, May 4th, 1910 to which it established its status as a party by way of succession."See also note 2 under “Germany” in the “Historical Information” section in the front matter of this volume.