A/HRC/36/37 United Nations General Assembly Distr.: General 19 July 2017 Original: English Human Rights Council Thirty-sixth session 11-29 September 2017 Agenda item 3 Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development Report of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention Note by the Secretariat In 2016, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, under its regular procedure, adopted 61 opinions concerning the detention of 201 persons in 38 countries. It also transmitted 74 urgent appeals to 38 Governments concerning 263 individuals, and 19 letters of allegations and other letters to 17 Governments. States informed the Working Group that they had taken measures to remedy the situations of detainees, and in an increasing number of cases the detainees were released. The Working Group is grateful to those Governments that responded to its appeals and took steps to provide it with the information requested on the situation of detainees. The Working Group engaged in continuous dialogue with countries that it visited, in particular in connection to its recommendations. In 2016, the Working Group undertook two country visits, to Azerbaijan and the United States of America. The reports on those visits are contained in addenda to the present report (A/HRC/36/37/Add.1 and Add.2, respectively). In the present report, the Working Group examines the issue of deprivation of liberty on discriminatory grounds. It also analyses issues relating to the increasing number of new regimes of deprivation of liberty that arise in different situations and contexts around the world. In its recommendations, the Working Group calls for increased cooperation from States, especially for country visits, for response to urgent appeals and communications, and for the enforcement of its opinions, with a view to preventing and ending arbitrary detention. Furthermore, it calls upon the States concerned to take appropriate measures to prevent acts of reprisals against individuals who were the subject of an urgent appeal or opinion or who gave effect to a recommendation of the Working Group. GE.17-12131(E) 