A/HRC/10/25 page 3 I. INTRODUCTION 1. In its resolution 7/25, the Human Rights Council requested the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to circulate the reports of the Secretary-General on the prevention of genocide submitted to the Council in order to obtain the views of States, relevant United Nations agencies, treaty bodies and special procedures on those reports, including on possible warning signs that might lead to genocide (E/CN.4/2006/84), and to report to the Council at its tenth session. The present report contains the views received. 2. In response to a note verbal dated 30 May 2008, views were received from the Governments of Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Finland, the Russian Federation and Turkey.1 Communications were also sent to United Nations agencies, human rights treaty bodies and special procedures of the Human Rights Council. II. VIEWS RECEIVED FROM STATES A. Armenia 3. The Government of Armenia stated that due attention to the warning signs which might lead to genocide is essential to prevent genocide. The possible warning signs compiled by the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General cannot be overestimated. Taken separately, each of the warning signs may be considered an egregious violation of human rights and of serious concern, but not necessarily indicative of a situation of genocide. The predictive value of these elements is most exhaustive and criteria for clustering the signs may need further consideration and clarification (for instance, some additional warning signs, such as forced relocation, segregation, isolation or concentration of a group, listed in paragraph 3 could be referred to as violations of human rights as listed in paragraphs 1 or 2). Those signs may vary in their depth, scope and scale, sometimes resulting in causal correlation (such as hate speech or incitement to hatred or violence, which may result in armed conflict with disproportionate targeting of a specific group). 4. There is a need to review criteria for grouping the warning signs and to identify additional indicators of genocidal behaviour. For this purpose, it would be advisable to use the classification based on the definition provided by the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. These points could be considered within different sets of rights, including political, social, economic and cultural. 5. The Government of Armenia believes that identification and stigmatization of a specific group of people aimed at their absolute extermination is implemented through the violation of a particular type or types of rights. Such methodology can provide for a more structured framework for the classification of the warning signs. Meanwhile, it is important to stress the interrelated nature of these rights and, therefore, of the warning signs. In this regard, there are several proposals to be taken into account. As the nation that suffered the first genocide of the twentieth century, with about 1.5 million lives lost and still evident consequences, Armenia had 1 The full texts of the views of States are available for consultation at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.