The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention is a UN-mandated body of independent human rights

Human rights

Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...

 experts that investigates cases of arbitrary arrest and detention

Arbitrary arrest and detention

Arbitrary arrest and arbitrary detention are the arrest or detention of an individual in a case in which there is no likelihood or evidence that they committed a crime against legal statute, or in which there has been no proper due process of law...

 that may be in violation of international human rights law

International human rights law

International human rights law refers to the body of international law designed to promote and protect human rights at the international, regional and domestic levels...

.

It was established in 1991 by the former Commission on Human Rights

United Nations Commission on Human Rights

The United Nations Commission on Human Rights was a functional commission within the overall framework of the United Nations from 1946 until it was replaced by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2006...

 as one of the "Special Procedures" created to monitor human rights violations, and is currently under the purview of the UN Human Rights Council. In 2010, its mandate was extended by the Council for another three years.

After verifying information from a variety of sources, including non-governmental organisations, inter-governmental agencies and victims' families, the Working Group sends urgent appeals to governments to ascertain the whereabouts and condition of those allegedly detained. It can also conduct fact-finding visits to countries that have extended an invitation to the Working Group.

Membership

The current members of the Working Group are:

Name	State
Malick El Hadji Sow (Chair)	Senegal	since 2008
Shaheen Sardar Ali Shaheen Sardar Ali Shaheen Sardar Ali is a Professor of Law, author and has served as Former Chair of the National Commission on the Status of Women of Pakistan. She is also a professor at the University of Warwick at the Law faculty and teaches Islamic Law.- Biography :...  (Vice Chair)	Pakistan	since 2008
Roberto Garretón	Chile	since 2008
Mads Andenas Mads Andenas Mads Andenas is a legal academic and a Member of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. He is a professor at the Department of Private Law at the Faculty of Law of the University of Oslo and the former Director of the British Institute of International and Comparative Law, London and the...	Norway	since 2009
Vladimir Tochilovsky	Ukraine	since 2010

Former members include:

Name	State
Aslan Abashidze Aslan Abashidze Aslan Abashidze was the leader of the Ajarian Autonomous Republic in western Georgia from 1991 to May 5, 2004. He resigned under the pressure of the central Georgian government and mass opposition rallies during the 2004 Adjara crisis, and has since lived in Moscow, Russia...	Russia
Tamás Bán	Hungary
Manuela Carmena Castrillo	Spain
Seyyed Mohammad Hashemi	Senegal
Louis Joinet	Early Modern France
Kapil Sibal Kapil Sibal Kapil Sibal is an Indian politician and lawyer. He is currently the Minister of Communications and Information Technology. He also held the two ministries Ministry of Science and Technology and Ministry of Earth Sciences in the First Manmohan Singh Cabinet...	India
Petr Uhl	Czech Republic
Soledad Villagra de Biedermann	Paraguay
Leila Zerrougui Leila Zerrougui Leila Zerrougui is an Algerian legal expert on human rights and administration of justice. She was appointed as United Nations Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the Democratic Republic of Congo in August, 2008.Previously, she served as Chairperson-Rapporteur of the...	Algeria