A/HRC/22/52 I. Introduction 1. The present report is submitted to the Human Rights Council pursuant to Council resolution 19/19. In the report, the Special Rapporteur lists his key activities undertaken from 3 April 2012 to 9 January 2013 and focuses thematically on the principle of accountability for grave or systematic human rights violations while countering terrorism. The report highlights the failure to date of the international community to secure full accountability for the acts of certain sections of the United States' Central Intelligence Agency during the Presidency of George W. Bush (“the Bush-era CIA”) in implementing a programme of torture, rendition and secret detention of terrorist suspects, as well as the acts of public officials in other States who colluded in that programme. It also sets out a series of framework principles for securing the right to truth and the principle of accountability for gross or systematic human rights violations committed by public officials while countering terrorism, and makes recommendations to States. II. Activities of the Special Rapporteur 2. On 12 April 2012, the Special Rapporteur addressed the Subcommittee on Human Rights of the European Parliament in the context of a public hearing on secret rendition and detention practices: “How to protect human rights while countering terrorism?” He referred to the Special Procedures mandate holders‟ “Joint study on global practices in relation to secret detention in the context of countering terrorism” 1 explaining the findings of the study and drawing attention to the failure of certain European Union States to respond to letters seeking further information on allegations of their involvement in those practices.2 3. On 20 June 2012, the Special Rapporteur presented his report on the framework principles for securing the human rights of victims of terrorism (A/HRC/20/14) to the twentieth session of the Human Rights Council and held a press conference. On this occasion, he also participated as a panellist in a side event on the Human Rights Implications of the United States Targeted Killing Programme, co-organized by the American Civil Liberties Union, the Center for Constitutional Rights, the International Commission of Jurists and the International Federation for Human Rights. 4. On 27 June 2012, the Special Rapporteur participated as a panellist in a debate on the “Future of the Targeted Sanctions one year after splitting the 1267 Regime”, hosted by the Permanent Mission of Germany in New York, with the Ombudsperson of the Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee, Kimberly Prost. 5. On 5 and 6 July 2012, the Special Rapporteur participated in the third regional expert symposium on fair trial and due process in the counter-terrorism context held in Brussels, Belgium, making an intervention related to the investigation and pretrial phase for persons suspected of terrorism offences, including administrative detention regimes and procedures for review. 1 2 A/HRC/13/42, 19 February 2010, Joint study on global practices in relation to secret detention in the context of countering terrorism, undertaken by the Special Rapporteurs on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism; on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and the Working Groups on Arbitrary Detention and Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances (“United Nations Joint Study on Secret Detention”). See further paras. 44 and 53(a) below. 3