Report of independent intn’l commission of inquiry established pursuant to HRC resolution S-21/1 – Secretariat note

Report of the independent international commission of inquiry
established pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution S-21/1*

Note by the Secretariat

1. In its resolution S-21/1, the Human Rights Council decided to establish an independent, international commission of inquiry to investigate all violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, particularly in the occupied Gaza Strip, in the context of the military operations conducted since 13 June 2014, whether before, during or after, to establish the facts and circumstances of such violations and of the crimes perpetrated and to identify those responsible, to make recommendations, in particular on accountability measures, all with a view to avoiding and ending impunity and ensuring that those responsible are held accountable, and on ways and means to protect civilians against any further assaults, and to report to the Council at its twenty-eighth session.

2. On 9 March 2015, the Chairperson of the commission of inquiry addressed a letter to the President of the Human Rights Council in which she invited the Council to consider postponing the submission and presentation of the above-mentioned report until June 2015. The request for additional time to prepare the report was based on the commission's need to adjust its work owing to the late resignation of its former chairperson and to analyse with the utmost objectivity the large number of additional submissions and documents received from both sides in previous weeks, relating to the fact-finding dimension of its mandate.

3. At its 32nd meeting, held on 16 March 2015, the Human Rights Council decided by consensus that the commission of inquiry should present a short oral update to the Council on 23 March 2015, at its twenty-eighth session, and that the Council would consider the report of the commission at its twenty-ninth session.

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* Late submission.