 My name is Lauren Lee at Seoul-based Transitional Justice Working Group. We specialize in human rights documentation and have successfully utilized UN human rights bodies for our advocacy work. In this video, I will walk you through how you can also do this. I'll be talking about the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention or the WGAD. This video is in part of an info series on how human rights documentors and activists can readily utilize the UN human rights mechanisms. We'll be discussing these questions. What is the WGAD and what can it do? How does the WGAD handle individual complaints about arbitrary detention? What can you get out of making a case submission to the WGAD? What are the things you can keep in mind when making a case submission to the WGAD? Do you need a lawyer to make a submission? The WGAD is a UN human rights body tasked to investigate cases of arbitrary deprivation of liberty. The WGAD considers the following five categories of deprivation of liberty to be arbitrary. Number one, when detention lacks any legal basis. Number two, when detention is the results of one's exercise of human rights such as the freedom of religion, expression, or assembly. Number three, when the right to a fair trial has been greatly violated. Number four, when asylum seekers, refugees, or migrants are subjected to prolonged administrative detention. And number five, when detention is the results of illegal discrimination based upon ethnicity, gender, political opinion, sexual orientation, and the like. The WGAD functions like a quasi court when handling individual complaints. It considers written submissions from victims and relevant governments and then issues opinions that read like court decisions. This sets it apart from other UN human rights experts. The WGAD's factual and legal findings enjoy considerable authority worldwide. Submissions to the WGAD must be in English, French, or Spanish, and must be accompanied by the consent of the victims or their family members. Once a petition has been submitted, the working group will decide if the case has merits. If a case is taken up for deliberation, the working group will send a letter with the summary of the case to the respective government and give it 60 to 90 days to respond in writing. If the government sends a response in time, the petitioner is given one more chance to respond in writing. Then the five members of the working group who meet three times a year will deliberate and adopt an opinion for the case based on the submissions from the petitioner and the government. After some final editing, the opinion is published on the WGAD's website. This means the whole process will take at least half a year and possibly even a year or two. So what is the point of making a case submission to the WGAD for human rights documenters and activists? If your case submission is successful and the working group issues an opinion, you can use it to present the factual and legal findings for the record. Name and shame the government at the UN. Raise the international awareness and pressure. Generate international and domestic media attention and induce better treatment for the detainee. The WGAD has a follow-up procedure to review the actions taken by the government on the case. All this could help in securing the release of a detainee. Furthermore, even a mere submission of a complaint to the WGAD can have some potential benefits. The case submission will remain a part of the UN record. The submission, newsworthy by itself, can attract media attention. The government can be put on notice that NGOs, the UN and other international actors are watching. The government's response could reveal useful information. And last but not least, bringing a case before the WGAD can provide a vindication to the victims and their loved ones, but it is important not to raise unrealistic expectations. Now here are some things to keep in mind when making a submission to the WGAD. The WGAD adopts on average around 90 opinions every year. This is not too bad, but given the vast number of case submissions from around the world, there is no guarantee that the WGAD will take up your case. The outcome will depend on the gravity, coherence and credibility of your case and the detailed but succinct organization of your petition. Moreover, even if the WGAD issues an opinion finding the detention arbitrary, there is no guarantee that the government will comply and the detainee will be released. The outcome here will depend on the legal and political considerations by the government. To answer the question at the beginning of this video, no, you don't need to be a lawyer to make use of the WGAD. The WGAD website provides a model questionnaire to be filled out and submitted by email, so you too can tap into the WGAD's case submission process. In the description below are links to more resources on how to make a submission. I hope this video was useful in understanding the WGAD process. If you decide to bring a case before the WGAD for your human rights documentation or advocacy work and have more questions, reach out to us at info at accessaccountability.org.