Report on follow-up to Country Visits
Author
Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
Presented
To the HRC at its 41st session, June 2019
Background
Mandate-holders carry out country visits to assess the situation of human rights at the national level. In 2019, the Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression examined the implementation of recommendations made following country visits undertaken under the auspices of the mandate.
Summary
The report follows-up on official visits undertaken by Mr Kaye to Japan and Turkey in 2016, and those taken by his predecessors on the mandate to Honduras in 2012, Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories in 2011 and Côte d'Ivoire in 2004.
This is the first such report prepared by the mandate holder.
Inputs received
The report benefitted greatly from input by States and civil society organisations. In January 2019, the Special Rapporteur sent questionnaires concerning the implementation of recommendations made following the respective country visits to the States involved. He also issued an open call for submissions, requesting input from civil society and other interested actors as to the status of the recommendations made. Having received this information, the Special Rapporteur prepared a draft version of his report, which he shared with the concerned States for their comment. Where consent was received for these various responses to be made public, these can be accessed below.
State responses to questionnaires sent
State response to unedited, draft version of the report
Civil society responses to open call for submissions
On Japan
On Turkey
On Honduras
On Israel and the OPT
On Côte d’Ivoire