New UN Database Available: Expert Panel Launches Tool to Fight Arbitrary Deprivation of Freedom
From the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):
The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on Monday highlighted the practice of arbitrary detention, which it emphasized takes place in all countries, affecting thousands of people each year.
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The Working Group’s official Opinions on their cases and more than 600 others are now available in a public online database, launched today.*
Over the last 20 years, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has developed extensive jurisprudence relating to international human rights norms and standards applicable to different forms of deprivation of liberty. The database, which has been made available online with the assistance of Thomson Reuters and Freedom Now, will ultimately contain all publicly available documents adopted by the Working Group, including its country visit reports and annual reports which also refer to mandate related thematic issues. These will be available in English, French and Spanish.
“The database is an indispensable tool for the victims, legal practitioners, States, national human rights institutions, academics and civil society,” said El Hadji Malick Sow, who currently heads the expert panel.
Learn More About the Working Group
Direct to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention Document Search

About Gary Price
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.