Arbitrary Detention: UN expert group undertakes follow-up visit to Italy 

GENEVA (4 July 2014) – The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention will visit Italy from 7 to 9 July 2014 to follow up on its previous recommendations.
 
The main objective of the visit is to continue engagement with the Government in addressing issues of detention and deprivation of liberty in Italy by assessing the steps needed to achieve full compliance with the recommendations* of the Working Group issued after its country visit in November 2008.

The Working Group, who visits Italy at the invitation of the Government, will be represented by its Chair-Rapporteur, Mr. Mads Andenas (from Norway), who will be accompanied by a staff member from the Working Group’s Secretariat at the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The delegation is scheduled to visit the cities of Rome, Palermo and Trapani where it will meet with key authorities and representatives of civil society. It will also visit a few detention facilities.  

The Working Group will present a follow-up report to the Human Rights Council in September 2015.

(*) Check the Working Group’s 2008 report on Italy (A/HRC/10/21/Add.5): http://www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures/wg-arbitrary-detention/country-visits

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.

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 include Ms. Shaheen Sardar Ali (Pakistan), Mr. José Guevara (Mexico) and Mr. Sètondji Roland Jean-Baptiste Adjovi (Benin).  Learn more, log on to: http://www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures/wg-arbitrary-detention

UN Human Rights Country Page – Italy: http://www.ohchr.org/en/countries/italy

Check the Database of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention: http://www.unwgaddatabase.org/un/

For more information and press inquiries, please contact: Helle Dahl Iversen: + 41 22 917 9421 (before and after the visit) and + 41 79 752 0481 (during the visit) / wgad@ohchr.org.

For media inquiries related to other UN independent experts:
Xabier Celaya, UN Human Rights – Media Unit (+ 41 22 917 9383 / xcelaya@ohchr.org)  

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Please note that the Working Group will convene a global stakeholders’ consultation on 1 and 2 September 2014 on the right to challenge the lawfulness of detention before court. For more details, go to: http://www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures/wg-arbitrary-detention/stakeholders-consultation-remedies-and-procedures-right-challenge-lawfulness-detention-court