A/HRC/46/35
United Nations
General Assembly
Distr.: General
24 December 2020
Original: English
Human Rights Council
Forty-sixth session
22 February–19 March 2021
Agenda item 3
Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil,
political, economic, social and cultural rights,
including the right to development
Final warning: death threats and killings of human rights
defenders
Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights
defenders, Mary Lawlor
Summary
In the present report, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights
defenders, Mary Lawlor, analyses the situation of the killing of human rights defenders. In
her report, 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. She makes recommendations to relevant stakeholders to halt this trend, and
calls for compliance with existing legal norms and standards. She suggests ways to protect
and support defenders to prevent future killings.
GE.20-17722(E)