A/HRC/20/22 parliamentary elections in Egypt. On 15 April 2011 and on 5 August 2011, the Special Rapporteur jointly with other mandate holders urged the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic to immediately stop violence against civilians. Joint statements were delivered on behalf of all special procedure mandate holders at the seventeenth and eighteenth special sessions of the Human Rights Council on the human rights situations in the Syrian Arab Republic, on 22 August and 2 December 2011, respectively.2 8. A number of joint statements were issued on death penalty cases: on 22 September 2011, to call for an immediate halt to the death penalty in the Islamic Republic of Iran, 3 and on 1 July and 21 September 2011, to urge the Government of the United States of America to stop the executions of Humberto Leal García and Troy Davis, respectively. 9. On 6 May 2011, the Special Rapporteur issued a joint statement with the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism on the killing of Osama bin Laden, asking the Government of the United States to disclose the facts surrounding the operation. On 20 October 2011, the Special Rapporteur issued a statement denouncing targeted killing policies. 10. On 2 March 2012, a statement was sent jointly with other special rapporteurs calling on the Government of Pakistan to act decisively to end sectarian violence. 4 D. International and national meetings 11. On 19 September 2011, the Special Rapporteur participated in a panel discussion held as a side event during the eighteenth session of the Human Rights Council, entitled ―Towards universal abolition of the death penalty: Sharing best practices on ratifying the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights‖. The event was organized by the Permanent Mission of Belgium in cooperation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and with the support of the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty. 12. On the occasion of the World Day against the Death Penalty on 10 October 2011, the Special Rapporteur took part in a panel discussion on the international jurisprudence regarding the death penalty and the prohibition of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, organized in Geneva, Switzerland by the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty and facilitated by the Governments of Belgium and Chile. 13. At an expert consultation entitled ―Safety of Journalists: Towards a More Effective International Protection Framework‖, held by the Government of Austria in Vienna on 23 November 2011, the Special Rapporteur delivered introductory remarks on protecting the right to life of journalists. 14. On 17 and 18 January 2012, the Special Rapporteur attended a consultation in Addis Ababa, entitled ―Enhancing Cooperation between the African and the UN Special Procedures Mechanisms for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights‖. Following the meeting, a working group was established and a road map was adopted on concrete means to strengthen the cooperation between those mechanisms. The Special Rapporteur was appointed Chair of the working group for a six-month term. 2 3 4 4 Available from http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/specialsession/17/index.htm and http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/specialsession/18/index.htm. This follows a statement of 2 February 2011 calling for a moratorium on the death penalty in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Available from http://ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=11895&LangID=E.