WORKING GROUP ON ARBITRARY DETENTION TO MEET IN GENEVA

18 November 2003

The United Nations Working Group on arbitrary detention will open its thirty-eighth session on Wednesday 19 November 2003 in Geneva.
The Group, which meets three times a year in Geneva, will examine cases submitted by representatives of human rights organizations and families or witnesses directly concerned with reports of arbitrary detention. During 2002, the Working Group adopted 21 Opinions concerning 125 persons in 17 countries. In 92 cases, it considered the deprivation of liberty in question to be arbitrary. In the same period, the Working Group transmitted a total of 87 urgent appeals concerning 1,658 individuals to 47 Governments. Twenty-one concerned Governments informed the Working Group that they had taken measures to remedy the situation of the detainees (see below for links).
The Working Group also formulated, in 2002, general recommendations on the issues of the use of detention as a means of combating terrorism; the recourse to detention as a means of protecting victims (“protective custody”) and the arbitrary character –on the ground of discrimination- of detention motivated by sexual orientation. In 2000 and 2001, the Pannel formulated general recommendations on human rights and State secrets; detention of conscientious objectors; extradition issues and on the question of imprisonment related to insolvency.
The Working Group is composed of five independent experts appointed according to criteria governing equitable geographical distribution which apply in the United Nations. It is headed by Leïla Zerroügui (Algeria) as Chairperson-Rapporteur and is composed of Soledad Villagra de Biedermann (Paraguay), Manuela Carmena Castrillo (Spain), Tamás Bán (Hungary, Vice-Chairperson), and Seyyed Mohammad Hashemi (Islamic Republic of Iran).
The Working Group was established by the Commission on Human Rights in 1991 to investigate instances of alleged arbitrary deprivation of liberty. Its mandate was clarified and extended by the Commission on Human Rights in resolution 1997/50 to cover the issue of administrative custody of asylum-seekers and immigrants.
In February 2003, the Working Group visited the Islamic Republic of Iran at the invitation of the Government of that country. In September 2003, the Working Group visited Argentina. The Working Group’s reports on these visits (E/CN.4/2004/3/Add.2 and Add.3) will be submitted to the Commission on Human Rights at its sixtieth session.
For more information, including previous reports of the Working Group, please consult OHCHR Fact-Sheet N° 26 or visit the following Internet address:
http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu2/7/b/mard.htm For the latest report of the Working Group and the opinions adopted, please follow this link: http://www.unhchr.ch/huridocda/huridoca.nsf/FramePage/Arbitrary%20En?OpenDocument&Start=3.26&Count=15&Expand=3)