Christof Heyns: 'Restating the supreme right: recent developments in international law on the right to life'

Professor Christof Heyns, Member of the UN Human Rights Committee, will discuss recent developments concerning the right to life, especially with regard to the Minnesota Protocol and the draft General Comment No. 36 of the Human Rights Committee on Article 6 of the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights. In November 2017, during its 121^st session, the Human Rights Committee started the second reading of the draft General Comment on right to life. The draft General Comment includes issues such as legislation controlling the use of lethal force by law enforcement officials, the duty to take positive measures to protect the right to life, extra-territorial obligations of states and the relationship of Article 6 with international humanitarian law. It also proposes positions for situations such as the use of lethal autonomous robotics or weapons of mass destruction, abortion, suicide, and the death penalty. The Minnesota Protocol on the Investigation of Potentially Unlawful Death (2016) is a set of international guidelines for the investigation of suspicious deaths, particularly those in which the responsibility of a State is suspected. It is a revision of the 1991 UN Manual on the Effective Prevention and Investigation of Extra-Legal, Arbitrary and Summary Executions which became known as the Minnesota Protocol, taking into account developments in both international law and forensic science.

Christof Heyns is a Member of the UN Human Rights Committee and former UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions (2010-2016). He is also Professor of Human Rights Law and Director of the Institute for International and Comparative Law in Africa at the University of Pretoria.

Dapo Akande is Professor of Public International Law and Co-Director of the Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict (ELAC).

This event is a joint event with ELAC, facilitated by Prof Dapo Akande.

Following the event there will be a drinks reception. All welcome.