A/RES/67/168
Extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions
where applicable, to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 19494 and the Additional
Protocols thereto, of 8 June 1977, 12 in relation to all persons detained in armed
conflict, as well as to other pertinent international instruments;
9.
Urges States to prevent and, where such situations exist, to end prisoner
control of prisons, bearing in mind the obligation of the State to protect human
rights, including protection against extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions;
10. Welcomes the International Criminal Court as an important contribution
to ending impunity concerning extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, and,
noting the growing awareness of the Court worldwide, calls upon those States that
are under an obligation to cooperate with the Court to provide such cooperation and
assistance in the future, in particular with regard to arrest and surrender, the
provision of evidence, the protection and relocation of victims and witnesses and the
enforcement of sentences, further welcomes the fact that 121 States have already
ratified or acceded to and 139 States have signed the Rome Statute of the Court,5
and calls upon all those States that have not ratified or acceded to the Rome Statute
and the Agreement on the Privileges and Immunities of the International Criminal
Court 13 to give serious consideration to doing so;
11. Acknowledges the importance of ensuring the protection of witnesses for
the prosecution of those suspected of extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions,
urges States to intensify efforts to establish and implement effective witness
protection programmes or other measures, and in this regard encourages the Office
of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to develop practical
tools designed to encourage and facilitate greater attention to the protection of
witnesses;
12. Encourages Governments and intergovernmental and non-governmental
organizations to organize training programmes and to support projects with a view
to training or educating military forces, law enforcement officers and government
officials in international humanitarian and human rights law connected with their
work and to include a gender and child rights perspective in such training, and
appeals to the international community and requests the Office of the High
Commissioner to support endeavours to that end;
13. Expresses its concern about the occurrence of vigilante killings around
the globe, encourages States, in order to support efforts to prevent and end such
killings, to undertake or facilitate systematic studies of the phenomenon with a view
to taking context-specific measures and focused action, and requests the Office of
the High Commissioner and other relevant United Nations entities, upon request, to
support such studies and their follow-up;
14. Takes note of the reports of the Special Rapporteur to the General
Assembly and the Human Rights Council, 14 and invites States to take due
consideration of the recommendations contained therein;
15. Commends the important role that the Special Rapporteur plays towards
the elimination of extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, and encourages
the Special Rapporteur to continue, within his mandate, to collect information from
all concerned, to respond effectively to reliable information that comes before him,
_______________
12
United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1125, Nos. 17512 and 17513.
Ibid., vol. 2271, No. 40446.
14
See A/66/330 and A/67/275.
13
4/5