وفيما يتعلق بما يسمى الحبس الوقائي، ذكرت اللجنة أنه يجب ألا يكون تعسفيا وأن يستند إلى حجج وإجراءات أرساها القانون، ويجب أن تقدم المعلومات المتعلقة بأسباب الاحتجاز، وأن تتاح إمكانية مراقبة المحكمة، كما يجب تعويض المحتجز متى ثبت وجود خرق للقانون(12). وخلصت اللجنة إلى أن انتهاكات لهذه المبادئ حصلت في عدة قضايا تتصل بتدابير مكافحة الإرهاب، وبخاصة فيما يتعلق بحالات تمديد فترة الاحتجاز قبل المحاكمة(13).
The Human Rights Committee has stated as a general principle its view that, in order to protect non-derogable rights, the right to take proceedings before a court to obtain a decision without delay on the lawfulness of detention must not be diminished, even when a State has derogated from certain provisions of the Covenant on the basis of a state of emergency.11 In the case of so-called preventive detention, the Committee has stated that it must not be arbitrary, must be based on grounds and procedures established by law, information on the reasons for such detention must be given, and court control must be available, as well as compensation in the case of a breach.12 It has concluded that violations of these principles occurred in several cases linked to counter-terrorism measures, particularly where pre-trial detention was prolonged.13