Today is International Day of the Disappeared.
Where are our Prisoners of War and Missing in Action?
Who is looking for them? Certainly not any of the NGOs.
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
PUBLIC STATEMENT
28 August 2009
AI Index: IOR 51/003/2009
2009 International Day of the Disappeared Ð a new Convention
could make a difference to those searching for their loved ones
Amnesty International calls on all governments to ratify the treaty and take a
crucial step towards ending enforced disappearances worldwide
Imagine waiting for your loved ones to come home one day, and imagine that day turning into
the rest of your life. Imagine waiting for them without knowing where they are, or even whether
they are still alive. Imagine having knocked on every door to find out where they might be and
not knowing what else to do. This is the life of family members of the disappeared in all
regions of the world.
The International Day of the Disappeared, on Sunday 30 August, is a time to remember their
struggle and demand justice.
Hundreds of thousands of cases of enforced disappearance remain unresolved while new cases
are reported every year. Enforced disappearance continues to be used by governments to
silence dissent and eliminate political opponents, to persecute ethnic, religious and political
groups, and as a tool of repression. Enforced disappearance is a crime that thrives on secrecy;
it is designed to put its victims beyond the protection of the law, and to hide the identity of the
perpetrators and the fate of the victims -- many of whom are tortured or killed.
The international community has a new tool to combat this scourge. The International
Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance -- adopted in 2006,
but not yet in force -- could make a difference. It obliges states to ensure that enforced
disappearances are a criminal offence under their laws, to protect witnesses and to hold any
person involved in an enforced disappearance criminally responsible. It recognizes the
familiesÕ right to know the truth and to obtain reparations. It requires states to prevent
enforced disappearances by instituting stringent safeguards for people deprived of their liberty;
to search for the disappeared person and, if they have died, to locate and return the remains.
The Convention also requires states to prosecute alleged offenders present in their territory,
regardless of where the crime was committed, or to extradite them to another state or
surrender them to an international criminal court.
Only seven more ratifications are needed for this treaty to come into force, and give those
searching for their loved ones a much needed lifeline. Amnesty International calls on all
governments to mark this yearÕs International Day of the Disappeared by making ratification of
this treaty a priority and announcing when they will ratify. The 64th session of the UN General
Assembly, due to open on 15 September 2009 in New York, and its annual treaty event will
provide all governments with an opportunity to ratify or announce a commitment to ratify the
Convention.
End/
Public Document
International Secretariat, Amnesty
International, 1 Easton St.,
London WC1X 0DW, UK
www.amnesty.org