A/HRC/29/51 I. Introduction 1. The present report is submitted to the Human Rights Council pursuant to its resolution 22/8. In the report, the Special Rapporteur lists the key activities he undertook from 17 December to 31 December 2014, focuses on the humans rights challenges posed by the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant and makes recommendations. II. Activities of the Special Rapporteur 2. On 13 February 2014, the Special Rapporteur participated as a speaker in a panel discussion entitled “Debating Kadi II: United Nations Ombudsperson v. judicial review in Security Council sanctions decision-making” at the London School of Economics. 3. From 23 to 25 February, the Special Rapporteur participated in an expert seminar on the theme “The right to privacy in the digital age”, hosted by the Permanent Missions of Austria, Brazil, Germany, Liechtenstein, Mexico, Norway and Switzerland and facilitated by the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, in Geneva. 4. On 11 March, the Special Rapporteur presented to the Human Rights Council his report on the use of remotely piloted aircraft, or drones, in extraterritorial lethal counterterrorism operations, including in the context of asymmetrical armed conflict, and its impact on civilians (A/HRC/25/59). He also held an interactive dialogue with the Council on his visits to Burkina Faso (A/HRC/25/59/Add.1) and Chile (A/HCR/25/59/Add.2). 5. On 12 March, the Special Rapporteur participated as a panellist in a side event on the topic “Human rights and drones” and held a press conference during the twenty-fifth session of the Human Rights Council. 6. On 22 September, during the twenty-seventh session of the Human Rights Council, the Special Rapporteur participated in a panel discussion on the topic “Ensuring use of remotely piloted aircraft or armed drones in counter-terrorism and military operations in accordance with international law, including international human rights and humanitarian law”. The panel discussion was held pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 25/22. 7. On 30 September, the Special Rapporteur participated in a hearing on the topic “Drones and targeted killings: the need to uphold human rights” before the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, in Strasbourg, France. 8. On 2 October, the Special Rapporteur participated in a panel discussion on the securitization of public policy in a post-9/11 world, organized by Amnesty International in London. 9. On 23 October, the Special Rapporteur presented to the General Assembly his report on the use of mass digital surveillance for counter-terrorism purposes and the implications of bulk access technology for the right to privacy under article 17 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (A/69/397). III. Human rights in the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant 10. In recent years, the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has emerged as a key actor in the Middle East and, reportedly, beyond. One of many radical groups that found fertile ground in the violent environments created by decades of instability in Iraq and the 3