PRESS RELEASE : UN Human Rights Council 57 – UK Statement on arbitrary detention [September 2024]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 24 September 2024.

UK Statement for the Interactive Dialogue with the Working Group on arbitrary detention. Delivered at the 57th HRC in Geneva.

The UK would like to thank the Working Group for its work and for the recommendations in its latest report.

Arbitrary detention is a hallmark of authoritarian regimes, and its use a means of political intimidation. Arbitrary detention not only violates human rights, but also undermines the trust in institutions that keeps societies safe and open.

The UK government works publicly and privately to condemn the use of arbitrary detention, to support those who have been arbitrarily detained, and to demand accountability.

The UK supports the Working Group and we call on all states to respect their international obligations and commitments. We welcome the report’s urgency on the protection of victims of arbitrary detention and call for all states to engage on this matter.

The UK welcomes the initiative of our Canadian colleagues to combat the use of arbitrary detention in state-to-state relations.

Working Group,

What further steps can states take to work together to end the practice of arbitrary detention?

Thank you.