Why is the petition addressed to the Special Rapporteur on Summary Executions?
The appeal petition (click here to sign) is addressed to the Special Rapporteur on Summary Executions at UNHCHR in Geneva as he has a clear mandate to raise the issue and press Iraqi and occupying authorities to protect Iraqi academics, along with other civilians. His mandate is also universal (i.e., it exists irrespective of whatever international covenants or conventions a given state has signed, ratified or refused to sign). There are four things that the special rapporteur can do: i) Dialogue with governments; ii) Include this issue as a byline in his annual report; iii) Authorize and conduct a separate investigation, leading to a separate report from the annual, obligatory report; iv) Make a fact-finding country visit. The first body the special rapporteur reports to is The Commission on Human Rights. Reports also go to the UN General Assembly. The Commission on Human Rights discusses reports from the special rapporteur during its annual sessions that usually meet in Geneva in Mar
