You can engage with Special Procedures in all areas of their work – communications, statements and press releases, country visits, and thematic reports - and by following up on Special Procedures’ actions.
This and the next section focus on:
The communications procedure may be the single most useful tool of the Special Procedures from the perspective of human rights defenders. You can submit information or allegations to the mandate holders and request that the experts take the matters up with governments.
Below you'll find questions to help you consider why communications might be useful to your advocacy, followed by some examples of how other human rights defenders have done so.
For more information on what they are, see ISHR Academy: Communications – What can Special Procedures do?
In Saudi Arabia death penalty sentences were issued against minors for participation in protests. The individuals were minors at the time of the protests, and the sentence of death by crucifixion or beheading came in 2014 in the context of alleged failures of due process guarantees, including allegations of confessions obtained under torture.
Civil society considered that the domestic judicial system and protections in place would not be adequate to protect the minors from execution and have the sentences repealed, so NGOs engaged with the Special Procedures. Civil society worked with the Special Procedures over a long period of time, providing information when the executions were believed to be imminent.
Special Procedures sent communications in 2015, twice in 2016, twice in 2017, and then in 2018, sent at times when it seemed the executions would take place very soon. The communications contributed to the continued non-enforcement of the sentences.
In 2023, Special Procedures continued their pressure, this time through a press release, expressing concerns over the imminent execution of a child defendant in Saudi Arabia, despite a 2020 Royal Decree intended to abolish the death penalty for individuals convicted of crimes committed as minors.
Communications sent by Special Procedures:
Press releases:
Media:
In July 2024, environmental defenders Alec Connon and John Mark Rozendaal were arrested in New York City during peaceful protests against Citibank’s financing of fossil fuels. Both were involved in the “Summer of Heat” campaign, which organised non-violent direct actions calling for climate accountability by major banks. The two activists were charged with assault and criminal contempt—offenses carrying potential jail time—after participating in sit-ins and, in one case, a cello performance outside the bank’s headquarters.
Believing the charges were disproportionate and aimed at silencing peaceful protest, the defenders submitted information to the UN Special Procedures. In September 2024, four Special Rapporteurs—on human rights defenders, climate change, the environment, and peaceful assembly—sent a joint communication to the US government. The letter raised concerns that the arrests and charges may constitute reprisals and requested clarification on how U.S. authorities were upholding rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
When the communication was made public in December 2024, it received media coverage and drew international attention to the case. UN Special Rapporteur Mary Lawlor publicly criticized the US for not responding, and emphasized the need to protect environmental defenders from legal harassment. The communication helped frame the arrests within a broader global trend of criminalising climate activism and increased scrutiny on the use of legal measures to restrict protest.
Communication sent by Special Procedures:
Media coverage of the communication:
Special Rapporteur follow-up on the communication:
Go to the next section for tips on how to get Special Procedures to send a communication
