Summary

In this report, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, analyses the situation of the killing of human rights defenders. The Special Rapporteur raises the alarm about the prevalence of killings in many parts of the world, and considers the issue of death threats that often precede the killing of human rights defenders. The report includes examples of threats to and killings of human rights defenders. The Special Rapporteur makes recommendations to relevant stakeholders to halt this trend, and calls for compliance with existing legal norms and standards. The report includes suggestions for ways to protect and support defenders to prevent future killings.