Joint oral statement on human rights impact of overcrowding: Human Rights Council September 2014

PRI delivered this joint oral statement at the 27th regular session of the Human Rights Council on 10 September 2014 on behalf of American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the Center for Legal and Social Studies (CELS), the International Legal Foundation (ILF) and PRI.

The statement relates to the Panel discussion on the protection of the human rights of persons deprived of their liberty and emphasises the significance of overcrowding and the overuse of detention for numerous human rights violations.

Alongside other infringements of human rights, overcrowding has been observed to constitute one of the most common obstacles to the respect of human dignity and to the prohibition of torture and ill-treatment. The statement calls on member states, the Human Rights Council, UN Special Procedures and Treaty Bodies to systematically address the unnecessary use of detention as a means to prevent human rights violations, including torture, inhuman or degrading treatment.

More on overcrowding and its human rights impact.