PRESS RELEASE : UN HRC54 – Statement on Arbitrary Detention [September 2023]
The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 18 September 2023.
The UK’s Statement for the Interactive Dialogue with the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. Delivered during the 54th UN Human Rights Council.
Thank you, Mr President. The United Kingdom thanks the Working Group for their report and for the insights provided.
The UK Government reaffirms our condemnation of arbitrary detention in all forms and calls for perpetrators to be held to account. Arbitrarily detaining individuals is unacceptable, unjust, and contrary to States’ obligations under international law.
Persons in marginalised and vulnerable situations, including human rights defenders, journalists, and civil society activists, face disproportionate levels of arbitrary detention. Like others, we welcome the report’s emphasis on concerns relating to an increased number of human rights defenders working on environmental issues being arbitrarily detained.
Whether globally or locally, human rights defenders contribute towards the realisation of human rights and the strengthening of the rule of law. We call on all States here today to ensure that human rights defenders can operate openly and safely, including being free from risk of arbitrary detention.
Working Group,
What examples of best practice to protect and safeguard human rights defenders from arbitrary detention can you share today?
Thank you.
