A/HRC/27/56 United Nations General Assembly Distr.: General 27 August 2014 Original: English Human Rights Council Twenty-seventh session Agenda item 3 Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development Report of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence, Pablo de Greiff* Summary In the present report, the Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence lists key activities undertaken by him between August 2013 and June 2014. In the report, he addresses the topic of prosecutorial prioritization strategies in the aftermath of gross human rights violations and serious violations of international humanitarian law, elaborating on possible elements of a prioritization strategy with a view to strengthening accountability for massive violations. The Special Rapporteur calls for such strategies to tackle the systemic dimensions of violations so as to dismantle the web of players and structures that enabled the atrocities to take place. He stresses that criminal justice must not lead to instances of mere “turn-taking”. As a major safeguard against that risk, he underscores the importance of the independence of prosecutors, enabling them to address impartially the complex pattern of violations committed by all sides, which in turn allows for charges that are representative of the actual violations. In conclusion, the Special Rapporteur emphasizes the growing importance of the participation of victims in judicial processes, including in relation to the design of prosecutorial strategies, and calls for in-depth studies on the institutionalization of participation mechanisms. * Late submission. GE.14-14898 (E) *1414898*