The right to liberty and security of person is a core human right articulated in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and other international instruments, applicable to all individuals—including refugees, asylum‑seekers, stateless persons, and internally displaced persons (IDPs). It encompasses freedom from arbitrary detention, protection against threats to physical and mental integrity, and safeguards ensuring that any deprivation of liberty is lawful, necessary, and proportionate. 

Liberty of person refers specifically to freedom from physical confinement. Situations amounting to deprivation of liberty may include immigration detention, confinement in camps, house arrest, involuntary hospitalization, or conditions where individuals cannot safely leave. Immigration detention is permissible only as a measure of last resort, following individualized assessment, and must never be automatic or discriminatory. Alternatives must be considered first, and children must never be detained for immigration-related purposes, as detention is never in their best interests. 

Security of person protects individuals from threats to life and bodily or mental integrity, including violence, abuse, exploitation, trafficking, arbitrary arrest, or attacks linked to conflict, criminality, or intra‑community tensions. States have an obligation to prevent such harm, protect victims, prosecute perpetrators, and ensure access to justice without discrimination. IDPs must be protected from arbitrary detention, hostage‑taking, and violence in displacement settings. 

This category also examines domestic protections against trafficking, gender‑based violence, recruitment of children in hostilities, and other grave violations. Effective remedies, humane detention conditions, non‑discrimination, and access to legal assistance are essential components of compliance with international standards.