Statement at UN Human Rights Council's 60th session
Interactive Dialogue with the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention
Delivered by Sigrid Lipott
Thank you, Mr President.
CIVICUS has prioritised putting every possible effort for those who are arbitrarily detained for the exercise of their fundamental freedoms, to be released without any conditions and to prevent this measure from reoccurring in violation of international human rights law.
The victims of arbitrary detentions are typically deprived of means to defend themselves from other unlawful practices such as extrajudicial execution, enforced disappearances, torture and ill-treatment. Arbitrary detention also creates barriers and chilling effects for various forms of civil society movements across borders.
CIVICUS has publicly operated the Stand As My Witness Campaign, which allows stakeholders to add voice, take action, and call for the immediate release of human rights defenders (HRDs) detained on baseless or trumped up charges.
This year marks the 5th anniversary of the campaign. Regrettably, arbitrary detention remains one of the most widespread violations of civic freedoms globally, with protesters, HRDs, journalists, and ordinary citizens being detained in at least 76 countries, often to suppress dissent. Those who are detained often expose serious human rights violations, high-level corruption and impunity, with unlawful imprisonment often preceded by stigmatization and reprisals, and coupled with other retaliatory measures.
We urge the unconditional release of the 20 prominent HRDs profiled on our Campaign, whose cases are illustrative of larger regional and global trends. We call on States and particularly Council members to work towards the release of thousands of activists and political dissidents arbitrarily imprisoned for legitimately exercising their core civic freedoms, who are held in detention with no chance for individual trials for the alleged crimes. We also urge States to ensure that safe, proportional and non-discriminatory alternatives to pretrial detention are available.
We encourage States to promptly renew the mandate of the Working Group, fully cooperate with the mechanism, support investigation of all allegations, and ensure justice and accountability. We also urge the Council to mandate a stocktaking report on options available to systematically monitor and address unlawful detentions linked to cooperation with UN mechanisms.
We thank you.
