Rights of families of victims of unlawful killings: Report of the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Morris Tidball-Binz
In the present report, the Special Rapporteur examines the impact of unlawful killings on families of victims from a human rights perspective. He considers existing definitions of families, delineates the rights of families engaged by the unlawful killing of a loved one, addresses the rights that families have in relation to truth, justice and reparations, including to mourn their dead with dignity, and analyses the difficulties they face in fulfilling these rights. The Special Rapporteur also considers specific circumstances which may exacerbate these difficulties, including unlawful killings that occur in the contexts of migration and armed conflict, deaths in custody, terrorism and counter-terrorism, the death penalty, and cases where families are the primary targets of unlawful killings. The Special Rapporteur concludes that States must do more and better to recognize, respect, protect and help fulfil the rights of families of victims of unlawful killings, and accordingly, he urges the implementation of the report’s recommendations.
Read the full report in PDF format.