1. APPENDIX I - LIST OF RELEVANT INSTRUMENTS

All of the instruments listed below are potentially of relevance to anyone wishing to submit allegations of unlawful killings to international bodies, or even within the national system. They have been arranged thematically in order to make it easier to pick out all instruments relevant to a specific topic. Within the thematic divisions, they have then been subdivided according to their origin, i.e. the international organisation which created them. For reasons of space, it has not been possible to reproduce all of the instruments here, but references have been given in Appendix II to possible sources for obtaining copies of the instruments.

1. GENERAL HUMAN RIGHTS INSTRUMENTS:

United Nations:

Universal Declaration of Human Rights
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

Council of Europe:

European Convention on Human Rights

Organisation of American States:

American Declaration on the Rights and Duties of Man
American Convention on Human Rights

Organisation of African Unity:

African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights

2. HUMANITARIAN LAW INSTRUMENTS:

Geneva Convention I for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field
Geneva Convention II for the Amelioration of the Condition of Wounded, Sick and Shipwrecked Members of Armed Forces at Sea
Geneva Convention III relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War
Geneva Convention IV relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War
Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts (Protocol I)
Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of Non-International Armed Conflicts (Protocol II)

3. UNLAWFUL KILLINGS-SPECIFIC HUMAN RIGHTS INSTRUMENTS:

United Nations:

Principles on the Effective Prevention and Investigation of Extra-Legal, Arbitrary and Summary Executions

4. INSTRUMENTS SPECIFIC TO DISAPPEARANCES AND CAPITAL PUNISHMENT

United Nations:

Safeguards Guaranteeing Protection of the Rights of Those Facing the Death Penalty
Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances

Organisation of American States:

Inter-American Convention on the Forced Disappearance of Persons

5. TORTURE-SPECIFIC HUMAN RIGHTS INSTRUMENTS:

United Nations:

Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Being Subjected to Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment

Council of Europe:

European Convention on the Prevention of Torture

Organisation of American States:

Inter-American Convention to Prevent and Punish Torture

6. GENERAL STANDARDS FOR THE TREATMENT OF PERSONS IN OFFICIAL CUSTODY:

United Nations:

Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners
Basic Principles for the Treatment of Prisoners
Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment
United Nations Rules for the Protection of Juveniles Deprived of their Liberty
United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile Justice ("The Beijing Rules")

Council of Europe:

European Prison Rules

7. INSTRUMENTS RELATING TO RACIAL DISCRIMINATION, APARTHEID AND GENOCIDE:

United Nations:

United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide
International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid

8. INSTRUMENTS RELATING TO WOMEN:

United Nations:

Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women

Organisation of American States:

Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment and Eradication of Violence Against Women

9. INSTRUMENTS RELATING TO CHILDREN:

United Nations:

Declaration on the Rights of the Child
Convention on the Rights of the Child
United Nations Rules for the Protection of Juveniles Deprived of their Liberty
United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile Justice ("The Beijing Rules")

Organisation of African Unity:

African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child

10. INSTRUMENTS RELATING TO RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND MINORITY RIGHTS:

United Nations:

Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination based on Religion or Belief
Declaration on Race and Racial Prejudice Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities

11. INSTRUMENTS RELATING TO LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS:

United Nations:

Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials
Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials

Council of Europe:

Declaration on the Police

12. INSTRUMENTS RELATING TO LAWYERS AND THE JUDICIARY:

United Nations:

Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers
Basic principles on the Role of Prosecutors
Basic Principles on the Independence of the Judiciary

13. INSTRUMENTS RELATING TO THE MEDICAL PROFESSION:

United Nations:

Principles of Medical Ethics Relevant to the Role of Health Personnel, Particularly Physicians, in the Protection of Prisoners and Detainees Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
Model Autopsy Rules

Misc:

See also the Principles on the Effective Documentation of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (Istanbul Protocol) - drafted by an ad hoc coalition of professionals and human rights bodies and can be found in an Appendix to the 1999 Report of the Special Rapporteur on Torture (UN GA Doc A/54/426), 1 Oct 1999 on websites www.unhchr.ch or www.phrusa.org/research/istanbul_protocol

14. INSTRUMENTS RELATING TO REFUGEES, ASYLUM SEEKERS, STATELESS PERSONS & DISPLACED PERSONS:

United Nations:

Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons
Convention relating to the Status of Refugees
Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees
Declaration on the Human Rights of Individuals who are not Nationals of the Country in which They Live
Representative of the Secretary-General on internally displaced persons (mechanism)

15. INSTRUMENTS RELATING TO HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS:

United Nations:

United Nations Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognised Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms

16. INSTRUMENTS RELATING TO JOURNALISTS:

United Nations:

Declaration on Fundamental Principles concerning the Contribution to the Mass Media to Strengthening Peace and International Understanding, to the Promotion of Human Rights and to Countering Racialism, Apartheid and Incitement to War

17. INSTRUMENTS RELATING TO PEOPLE WITH MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS & OTHER FORMS OF MENTAL & PHYSICAL DISABILITY:

United Nations:

Principles for the Protection of Persons with Mental Illness and the Improvement of Mental Health Care
Declaration on the Rights of Disabled Persons
Declaration on the Rights of Mentally Retarded Persons

18. OTHER RELEVANT INSTRUMENTS:

United Nations:

Declaration of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power
Statute of the International Criminal Court