How can the Special Rapporteur on Summary Executions pressure governments to act?
The alternatives open to the Special Rapporteur are to: i) Issue urgent appeals to governments, encouraging governments to take steps to protect the right to life (and other relevant civil and political rights) and requesting of them that he be informed as and when such steps are taken; ii) Issue letters of allegations which are sent to governments in the form of case summaries. Again, the Special Rapporteur would ask to be informed of progress with respect to investigations conducted by concerned governments and penal or disciplinary sanctions imposed on perpetrators, compensation provided to families of victims, and so on. The Special Rapporteur can ask for information from governments, request that they clarify the substance of allegations, or report on allegations of impunity relative to relevant international standards (such as The Four Geneva Conventions and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, among other instruments of international humanitarian and human r
