Arbitrary Detention: UN expert group launches first information-gathering visit to Brazil
GENEVA (15 March 2013) – The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention will undertake its first official visit
to Brazil to assess the situation of deprivation of liberty in the country from 18 to 28 March 2013.
The group of independent experts designated by the UN Human Rights Council to investigate allegations of arbitrary
deprivation of liberty will visit various detention facilities, including prisons, police stations, detention centres
for migrants and psychiatric institutions.
The Working Group will be visiting Campo Grande, Fortaleza, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, in addition to Brasilia. The
visit will provide an opportunity to engage with the relevant authorities from the executive, legislative, judicial
organs at the federal and state levels as well as civil society organizations.
The delegation will consist of Mr. Roberto Garretón (from Chile) and Mr. Vladimir Tochilovsky (from Ukraine)*. They will
be accompanied by staff from the Working Group’s Secretariat at the UN human rights office.
A press conference on the preliminary observations of the Working Group will be held on 28 March 2013 at the Sergio
Viera de Mello United Nations Complex in Brasilia. Further details to follow.
The final report of the visit will be presented to the Human Rights Council in 2014.
(*) The other three members of the Working Group are El Hadji Malick Sow who is the Chair-Rapporteur (from Senegal),
Shaheen Sardar Ali who is the Vice-Chair (from Pakistan) and Mads Andenas (from Norway).
ENDS