A/HRC/22/28 other media professionals and bloggers, do so without fear of intimidation, legal and physical harassment and violence. In this regard, the State has an obligation to protect them. 17. States have the obligation to ensure that law enforcement officials are sufficiently trained and equipped, particularly with regard to crowd control and the use of force. In this regard, reference should be made to the comprehensive work carried out by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) and its Panel of Experts on Freedom of Peaceful Assembly. 18. Human rights defenders coalitions, national, regional and international networks for communication of information, monitoring groups and support groups that could provide a safe haven should be promoted and strengthened. These groups can provide protection for peaceful protesters as well as those monitoring peaceful protests. 19. Any reported excessive use of force or other human rights violations in the context of peaceful protests should be investigated and prosecuted promptly, impartially and in an independent manner, in order to bring perpetrators to justice. This not only entails guarantees that the violation be addressed, but also that it will not be repeated in the future. Where human rights in the context of peaceful protests are unduly restricted, the victim(s) should have the right to obtain redress and to fair and adequate compensation. Specific attention must be paid to victims belonging to the groups most at risk in this process. 20. In his contribution to this report, the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions made reference to article 6, paragraph 1, of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights regarding the right to life, and recalled that in its general comment No. 6 (1982) on the right to life, the Human Rights Committee considers that States parties should take measures to, inter alia, “prevent arbitrary killing by their own security forces.” In its view, the deprivation of life by the authorities of the State is a matter of utmost gravity, therefore, the law must strictly control and limit the circumstances in which a person may be deprived of his life by such authorities (para. 3). Moreover, the Special Rapporteur referred to the Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials,9 in particular principles 9, 12, 13 and 14, and to the Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials10 which provides an interpretation of the limits on the conduct of law enforcement forces. 21. The Special Rapporteur also referred to his report to the seventeenth session of the Human Rights Council, where he concluded, based on a study of some 76 countries, that many domestic legal systems do not adhere to international standards in respect of the use of force during demonstrations (A/HRC/17/28, summary). The Special Rapporteur also highlighted several interconnected factors that shape a State’s response to protest and the eventual consequences. The recognition by the State of the right to peaceful assembly, both at the political and legal levels, is a crucial element. When the right to peaceful assembly is suppressed, there is a higher risk for demonstrations to escalate and turn violent. However, thorough respect by the State of the right to peaceful assembly offers the opportunity to defuse tensions and avoid negative consequences, such as potential loss of life. 22. In his report, the Special Rapporteur also underlines the need for greater codification of international law applicable to demonstrations, recommending that “the basic principles for managing demonstrations should be elaborated more clearly, so as to set out the international law standards applicable to demonstrations (non-violent and violent; legal and 9 10 Adopted by the eighth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders, Havana, 27 August to 7 September 1990. Adopted by General Assembly resolution 34/169 of 17 December 1979. 7