Statement by Minister for Foreign Affairs on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions

Human Rights Council ‒ 56th session

Item 3: Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions

Statement by H.E. Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörd Gylfadóttir, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iceland on behalf of the Nordic Baltic Countries: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden and Iceland

26 June 2024

Mr. President,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Nordic-Baltic countries.

We thank the Special Rapporteur for his comprehensive report calling for the development of human rights-based guiding principles to bridge the gap between different levels of protections for dead persons under international law.

The dignity of persons and the respect owed to their bodies do not cease with death. Disruptions of the processes by which individuals and societies across cultures and religions honour and mourn the deceased harm both individuals and societies and can serve to undermine or impede victims’ rights to truth, justice and reparation in cases of unlawful death.

With the proliferation of armed conflicts, migration, climate change and the recurrence of natural disasters, the need to ensure the effective protection of the dead becomes more urgent than ever.

This requires a multi-stakeholder approach, rooted in human rights. The idea to establish universally applicable guiding principles that ensure the comprehensive protection of the memory of the deceased and respect to their bodies merits further discussion.

Special Rapporteur, in your view, how can the Council and its mechanisms contribute to enhancing the protection of the dead, including the individual recording of casualties?

I thank you.