Scheinin has worked with the UN on human rights issues since 1997, first as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Committee, and from 2005 until 2011 as Special Rapporteur on human rights and counter-terrorism.

In April 2005, the UN Commission on Human Rights appointed "a special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism".
This was initially a three-year appointment, to end in 2008, but was later extended by three more years, to end in 2011.

As Special Rapporteur on human rights and counter-terrorism, Scheinin reported annually both to the United Nations General Assembly and the United Nations Human Rights Council.
His reports have covered themes such as definitions of terrorism, the right to fair trial in terrorism cases, the impact of counter-terrorism measures on economic, social and cultural rights, the right to privacy in the age of counter-terrorism, the role of intelligence agencies and their oversight in counter-terrorism, and the identification of best practice in combating terrorism in full compliance with human rights.

Some of the reports have been commended by governments, such as those related to discriminatory profiling or the right to privacy in the context of counter-terrorism.
On some other occasions, certain governments have been highly critical about the reports, such as Scheinin's analysis of the [gender] impact of counter-terrorism measures and his proposals of a total reform of the terrorist listing by the United Nations Security Council.
In a Fox News Channel interview, U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch called Scheinin and his colleague Christof Heyns "jerks" for sending a letter to the US government concerning the circumstances of the killing of Osama Bin Laden.

As Special Rapporteur, Scheinin was a member of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force (CTITF) and conducted a number of country visits to assess the counter-terrorism law and practice of countries such as Turkey, South Africa, United States, Israel, Spain, Egypt, Tunisia and Peru.
As part of the country missions, he visited prisons and observed terrorism trials, such as the Military Commission hearings in the Salim Hamdan case in Guantanamo Bay and the Jose Padilla and Ahmed Ghailani trials in the United States.
The country visits have often resulted in concrete improvements, such as the repeal of a contested Presidential Decree in Peru immediately after the visit in September 2010.
As Special Rapporteurs can visit a country only upon the invitation of its government, Scheinin was not able to obtain access to countries such as Pakistan, the Philippines, or the Russian Federation.

Scheinin's mandate as Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism ended on 31 July 2011.
He was succeeded by Ben Emmerson, Q.C. (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland), who assumed this mandate on 1 August 2011.
Scheinin has worked with the UN on human rights issues since 1997, first as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Committee, and from 2005 until 2011 as Special Rapporteur on human rights and counter-terrorism.
In April 2005, the UN Commission on Human Rights appointed "a special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism". This was initially a three-year appointment, to end in 2008, but was later extended by three more years, to end in 2011.
As Special Rapporteur on human rights and counter-terrorism, Scheinin reported annually both to the United Nations General Assembly and the United Nations Human Rights Council. His reports have covered themes such as definitions of terrorism, the right to fair trial in terrorism cases, the impact of counter-terrorism measures on economic, social and cultural rights, the right to privacy in the age of counter-terrorism, the role of intelligence agencies and their oversight in counter-terrorism, and the identification of best practice in combating terrorism in full compliance with human rights.
Some of the reports have been commended by governments, such as those related to discriminatory profiling or the right to privacy in the context of counter-terrorism. On some other occasions, certain governments have been highly critical about the reports, such as Scheinin's analysis of the [gender] impact of counter-terrorism measures and his proposals of a total reform of the terrorist listing by the United Nations Security Council. In a Fox News Channel interview, U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch called Scheinin and his colleague Christof Heyns "jerks" for sending a letter to the US government concerning the circumstances of the killing of Osama Bin Laden.
As Special Rapporteur, Scheinin was a member of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force (CTITF) and conducted a number of country visits to assess the counter-terrorism law and practice of countries such as Turkey, South Africa, United States, Israel, Spain, Egypt, Tunisia and Peru. As part of the country missions, he visited prisons and observed terrorism trials, such as the Military Commission hearings in the Salim Hamdan case in Guantanamo Bay and the Jose Padilla and Ahmed Ghailani trials in the United States. The country visits have often resulted in concrete improvements, such as the repeal of a contested Presidential Decree in Peru immediately after the visit in September 2010. As Special Rapporteurs can visit a country only upon the invitation of its government, Scheinin was not able to obtain access to countries such as Pakistan, the Philippines, or the Russian Federation.
Scheinin's mandate as Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism ended on 31 July 2011. He was succeeded by Ben Emmerson, Q.C. (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland), who assumed this mandate on 1 August 2011.
Martin Scheinin