Communications
Some special procedures mechanisms intervene directly with
Governments on specific allegations of violations of human rights
that come within their mandates. The intervention can relate to a
human rights violation that has already occurred, is ongoing, or
which has a high risk of occurring. The process, in general, involves
sending a letter to the concerned Government requesting information
and comments on the allegation and, where necessary, asking that
preventive or investigatory action be taken.
The decision to intervene is at the discretion of the special
procedure mandate holder and will depend on the various criteria
established by him or her, as well as the criteria laid out in the
Code of Conduct. The criteria will generally relate to: the
reliability of the source and the credibility of information
received; the details provided; and the scope of the mandate.
However, it must be emphasized that the criteria and the procedure
involved in responding to an individual complaint vary, so it is
necessary to submit a communication in accordance with the specific
requirements established by each special procedure.
The following minimum information must be provided for all special
procedures in order for the communication to be assessed:
• Identification of the alleged victim(s);
• Identification of the alleged perpetrators of the
violation;
• Identification of the person(s) or organization(s)
submitting the communication (this information will be kept
confidential);
• Date and place of incident
• A detailed description of the circumstances of the
incident in which the alleged violation occurred.
Other details pertaining to the specific alleged violation may be
required by the relevant thematic mandates (e.g. past and present
places of detention of the victim; any medical certificate issued to
the victim; identification of witnesses to the alleged violation; any
measures undertaken to seek redress locally, etc.).
Communications that contain abusive language or that are obviously
politically motivated are not considered. Communications should
describe the facts of the incident and the relevant details referred
to above clearly and concisely. Communications should not be based
solely on media reports.
To facilitate the consideration of reported violations, questionnaires
relating to several mandates are available to persons wishing to
report cases of alleged violations. It should, however, be noted that
communications are considered even when they are not submitted in the
form of a questionnaire.
For specific information concerning the individual communication
procedures of each special procedure mandate please consult the
individual webpages of thematic mandates or country mandates.
After consulting the requirements established by each mandate for
the submission of allegations, information can be submitted by fax to
+41 22 917 90 06, by e-mail to urgent-action@ohchr.org ,
or by postal mail to:
OHCHR-UNOG
8-14 Avenue de la Paix
1211 Geneva 10
Switzerland
Please specify which special procedure mechanism the information
is addressed to in the subject line of the e-mail or fax, or on the
cover of the envelope.
Several other individual complaint mechanisms have been
established as part of the international human rights system. For
more information please visit the Communications/Complaints
section .
|