UNITED NATIONS GROUP ON ARBITRARY DETENTION TO MEET IN GENEVA NEXT WEEK

22 November 2002




A United Nations panel of experts will meet in Geneva from 25 to 29 November to examine allegations of arbitrary detention from around the world.

The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, established by the Commission on Human Rights in 1991, will take up cases submitted by representatives of human rights organizations and families or witnesses directly concerned with reports of arbitrary detention. The mandate of the group also covers the issue of administrative custody of asylum-seekers and immigrants.

In 2001, the Working Group adopted 31 opinions concerning 94 persons in 22 countries and Palestine. In the same period, it transmitted a total of 79 urgent appeals concerning 897 individuals to 39 Governments and the Palestinian Authority.

The Working Group also formulated in 2001 general recommendations on the issues of imprisonment related to insolvency and on the recourse to detention as a means of protection of victims (“protective custody”). In 2000, the focus of general recommendations was on human rights and State secrets, detention of conscientious objectors and extradition issues.

From 24 May to 6 June of this year the Working Group undertook a visit to Australia in relation to the country’ s administrative custody of unauthorized arrivals. From 27 October to 10 November 2002 it visited Mexico. The reports on the visits will be submitted to the forthcoming session of the Commission on Human Rights.

The Working Group is made up of five independent experts appointed according to criteria governing equitable geographical distribution which apply in the United Nations. It is headed by Louis Joinet (France) as Chairman-Rapporteur and Leïla Zerrougui (Algeria) as Vice-Chairperson. Soledad Villagra de Biedermann (Paraguay), Tamás Bán (Hungary) and Mohammad Hashemi (Iran) are the other members.


For more information, including previous reports of the Working Group, please visit the following Internet address or consult OHCHR Fact-Sheet N° 26:
http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu2/7/b/mard.htm




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