Protect the Asian Peoples from Enforced Disappearance. Sign and Ratify the Convention Now!

Sixty-six years ago today, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a common standard for all peoples and nations to achieve and enjoy in terms of their civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights.  Since then, nine human rights treaties have been adopted and ratified by many States Parties to make human rights claims legally binding and enforceable.

The International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (CAED), which entered into force on 23 December 2010 is one of these nine treaties where a new right is recognized:

The Right Not to be Disappeared.  As of 12 September 2014, the Committee on Enforced Disappearance reported that this treaty has 43 States Parties and 94 signatories.  In Asia, only Cambodia, Iraq and Japan ratified the Convention while Laos, Lebanon, Mongolia and Thailand signed it.  Of these said Asian States Parties, only Japan recognized the competence of the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances in terms of inter-state complaints.

Odhikar Statement: International Human Rights Day 2014

10th December is universally recognised as International Human Rights Day. International Human Rights Day is being observed worldwide at a time when incidents of human rights violations in Bangladesh have reached an alarming level. The Awami League resumed power through controversial Parliamentary Elections on January 5, 2014 that most major political parties boycotted; and a very small percentage of people voted at. The January 2014 Parliamentary Elections are generally believed to be bereft of the peoples’ mandate. 153 candidates from the ruling Awami League and its alliance were elected unopposed out of a total of 300 constituencies even before the elections were held. An Election Commission- that was made subservient by selecting election commissioners through a selection committeeconducted the elections.

Strengthen the Bond and be Hopeful that Justice will be Attained

On the occasion of the Fourth Congress of IKOHI, the other eleven member-organizations of the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) congratulate all of you for your steadfastness in the continued search for truth and justice for your disappeared loved ones.

IKOHI’s members come from many generations of victims, dating back to the 1965-1966 massacres under the command of Gen. Suharto.  Many of you are still here and AFAD salutes your courage, determination and hope.  With your presence and support, whether big or small, few or far between, the succeeding generations are inspired to keep on with the struggle, for impunity still pervades in the country.

Justice for the 43 Mexican Students! (Justicia para los 43 estudiantes mexicanos!)

On September 26, a group of students travelling to Mexico City was attacked by police forces in the southern state of Guerrero. The incident left 6 dead and 43 missing. More than 40 days after the disappearance of the students, suspected gang members confessed to killing the missing students. Members of the said gang admitted to burning the bodies for 15 hours and throwing the remains in a nearby river.

This tragedy puts yet another punctuation mark on Mexico’s long history of human rights violations. It can only by presumed what kind of torture these students were exposed to after they were abducted and before they were handed over to the Guerreros Unidos cartel to be massacred. Hence, in one tragic incident, the Mexican state is potentially responsible for Enforced Disappearance, Extra-Judicial Killings, and possibly, Torture.