A/HRC/33/50 I. Introduction 1. The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention was established by the Commission on Human Rights in its resolution 1991/42 and entrusted with the investigation of instances of alleged arbitrary deprivation of liberty, according to the standards set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the relevant international instruments accepted by the States concerned. The mandate of the Working Group was clarified and extended by the Commission in its resolution 1997/50 to cover the issue of administrative custody of asylum seekers and immigrants. At its sixth session, the Human Rights Council assessed and confirmed the mandate of the Working Group (Council resolution 6/4). On 26 September 2013, in its resolution 24/7, the Council extended the Working Group’s mandate for a further three-year period. 2. During the period from 1 January to 31 July 2015, the Working Group was composed of Sètondji Roland Jean-Baptiste Adjovi (Benin), Mads Andenas (Norway), José Antonio Guevara Bermúdez (Mexico), Seong-Phil Hong (Republic of Korea) and Vladimir Tochilovsky (Ukraine). On 1 August 2015, Leigh Toomey (Australia) started her functions as a member of the Working Group, replacing Mr. Andenas. 3. In April 2015, at the seventy-second session of the Working Group, Mr. Hong was elected as Chair-Rapporteur, Mr. Guevara Bermúdez as Vice-Chair and Mr. Adjovi as Vice-Chair. II. Activities of the Working Group in 2015 4. During the period from 1 January to 31 December 2015, the Working Group held its seventy-second, seventy-third and seventy-fourth sessions. It undertook a follow-up visit to Malta between 23 and 25 June 2015 (see A/HRC/33/50/Add.1). A. 1. Handling of communications addressed to the Working Group in 2015 Communications transmitted to Governments 5. At its seventy-second, seventy-third and seventy-fourth sessions, the Working Group adopted a total of 56 opinions concerning 91 persons in 37 countries (see the table below). 2. Opinions of the Working Group 6. Pursuant to its methods of work (A/HRC/30/69), the Working Group, in addressing its opinions to Governments, drew their attention to Commission on Human Rights resolutions 1997/50 and 2003/31 and Human Rights Council resolutions 6/4 and 24/7, requesting them to take account of the Working Group’s opinions and, where necessary, to take appropriate steps to remedy the situation of persons arbitrarily deprived of their liberty and to inform the Working Group of the steps they had taken. 2