The violations of the right to life upon which action is taken are defined as:

the death penalty: when capital punishment is imposed after an unfair trial or in the case of a breach of the right to appeal or the right to seek pardon or commutation of the sentence; when capital punishment is imposed for crimes which cannot be considered "most serious crimes"; if the convicted person is a minor, mentally retarded or insane, a pregnant woman or a recent mother;
death threats and fear of imminent extrajudicial executions by state officials, paramilitary groups, private individuals or groups cooperating with or tolerated by the government, as well as by unidentified persons who may be linked to the one of these categories;
deaths in custody as a result of torture, neglect or the use of force, or life-threatening conditions of detention;
deaths due to the use of force by law enforcement officials, or persons acting in direct or indirect compliance with the state, when the use of force is inconsistent with the criteria of absolute necessity and proportionality;
deaths due to attacks or killings by state security forces or by paramilitary groups, death squads or other private forces cooperating with or tolerated by the state;
violations of the right to life during armed conflicts, especially of the civilian population and other non-combatants, contrary to international humanitarian law;
expulsion, refoulement or return of persons to a country or a place where their lives are in danger, as well as the prevention of persons seeking asylum from leaving a country where their lives are in danger through the closure of national borders;
genocide;
deaths due to acts of omission on the part of the authorities, including mob killings; instances in which the state fails to take positive measures of a preventive and protective nature necessary to ensure the right to life of any person under its jurisdiction;
breach of the obligation to investigate alleged violations of the right to life and to bring those responsible to justice; and
breach of the obligation to provide adequate compensation to victims of violations of the right to life.