Working Group on Arbitrary Detention concludes its 71st session

Working Group on Arbitrary Detention concludes its 71st session

GENEVA (27 November 2014) – During its 71st session, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention* adopted 19 Opinions under its regular procedure which will be sent to the States concerned and to the sources in the coming weeks. The Opinions of the Working Group will be reported to the Human Rights Council in September 2015.    
The Working Group also continued its discussion of the Draft Principles and Guidelines on the right of anyone deprived of his or her liberty to challenge the lawfulness of detention before court. The Working Group is in the process of elaborating the core principles related to the right to legal remedies for anyone detained, based on the existing international law instruments and practices.
The Working Group met delegations of Members States on various aspects, especially on cooperation between the States and the Working Group and plans for country visits. In addition, the Working Group met civil society organisations,  which drew members' attention to the human rights situations in countries of concern to them. During its previous sessions in April and August of this year, the Working Group adopted 38 Opinions concerning 20 countries.
The Working Group will hold its next 72nd session from 20 to 29 April 2015.
(*) The Working Group is comprised of five independent expert members from various regions of the world. The Chair-Rapporteur is Mr. Mads Andenas (Norway) and the Vice-Chair is Mr. Vladimir Tochilovsky (Ukraine); other members are Mr. José Guevara (Mexico), Mr. Seong-Hong (Republic of Korea), and Mr. Sètondji Roland Jean-Baptiste Adjovi (Benin).

ENDS

The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention was established by the former Commission on Human Rights in 1991 to investigate instances of alleged arbitrary deprivation of liberty. Its mandate was clarified and extended by the Commission to cover the issue of administrative custody of asylum-seekers and immigrants. In 2010, the Human Rights Council confirmed the scope of the Working Group's mandate and extended it for a further three-year period in September 2013.

For more information on the Working Group, log on to: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Detention/Pages/WGADIndex.aspx

Read the Working Group’s 2014 report to the UN Human Rights Council: http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/G14/068/65/PDF/G1406865.pdf?OpenElement

To learn more about the thematic study on the right to challenge the lawfulness of detention before court, log on to:http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Detention/Pages/ConsultationSept2014.aspx

For more information and media requests, please contact Mr. Miguel de la Lama (+41 22 917 9289 / mdelalama@ohchr.org) or write to wgad@ohchr.org.

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