Contribution to the Human Rights Committee
For the General Discussion on the preparation for a General Comment on Article 9
(Liberty and Security of Person) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
25 October 2012
Palais des Nations, Geneva.

The right of each individual to liberty and security of person as set forth in Art. 9 should be read in strict connection with Art. 12 para. 1.
The right to liberty includes indeed the freedom of movement without restrictions within the territory of a State and to freely choose his residence.
These freedoms shall not be subject to any restriction except for health or security reasons, and those restrictions must be provided by law.
The right to liberty, which also expresses itself through the right to freedom of movement and residence, even if it may be partially restricted in relation to the juridical status of the individual, shall never be limited due to ethnic membership.
Thus, the right to liberty and security must be understood in deep connection with the principle of equality and parity of treatment.
Therefore, must be strongly condemned all those restrictions to liberty leading to segregationist measures targeting exclusively some ethnic groups.