A/HRC/19/55 I. Introduction 1. The present report is the fourth submitted to the Human Rights Council by the Special Rapporteur, and the twelfth thematic report submitted by the mandate holder on human rights defenders since 2000. The report is submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council resolutions 7/8 and 16/5. 2. In March 2011, the Human Rights Council decided to renew the mandate on the situation of human rights defenders for another three years extending thus the term of the Special Rapporteur until 2014. The Special Rapporteur is honoured to be able to continue her work and is fully committed to persevere in her efforts to make the work of human rights defenders visible and to contribute to their security and protection. 3. The mandate holder has consistently addressed the specificities of the situation of certain groups of defenders most at risk and the particular challenges they face with a view to shedding light on their work, calling attention to their situation and, hence, contributing to their protection. The present report continues with this approach by paying attention to the situation and particular challenges faced by journalists and media workers; defenders working on land and environmental issues; and youth and student defenders when they act in defence of human rights and fundamental freedoms. 4. First, the report briefly outlines the approach of the mandate holder and the methodology used, which is mostly based on communications sent between 2007 and 2011. The report then focuses on each of the selected groups, providing a brief overview of the relevant legal frameworks and work of mandate and offering an analysis of the specific risks that these defenders face. The analysis aims to identify the nature of the activities of the reported victims, the alleged violations and the perpetrators involved and the regional trends that may emerge. In the last section, the report provides a series of observations and recommendations regarding each of the selected groups of defenders. II. Activities during the reporting period A. Communications transmitted to States 5. Between 9 December 2010 and 8 December 2011, the Special Rapporteur sent 234 communications. Communications were sent to 71 States, and, at the time of writing, 91 responses had been received, which indicates only a 39 per cent response rate. Communications sent during the period, and the corresponding responses by Governments, will be included in addendum 2 to the present report (A/HRC/19/55/Add.2). B. Country visits 6. During the reporting period, the Special Rapporteur visited India from 10 to 21 January 2011. A separate report on this visit has been submitted to the nineteenth session of the Human Rights Council (A/HRC/19/55/Add.1). Pending requests 7. As of December 2011, the Special Rapporteur has the following outstanding visit requests: Belarus (2002, 2003, 2004, 2010, 2011), Bhutan (2001, 2002), Burundi (2010), Chad (2002, 2003, 2004), China (2008, 2010), Egypt (2003, 2008, 2010), Equatorial Guinea (2002), Fiji (2010), Ireland (2008, 2011), Kazakhstan (2011), Kenya (2003, 2004), 3