AFAD joins Philippine human rights defenders in condemning Martial Law atrocities and combating widespread historical distortion

MANILA: Fifty years since Ferdinand Marcos Sr. declared Martial Law in 1972, the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) affirms its steadfast support to the Families of Victims of Involuntary Disappearance (FIND) and other Philippine human rights defenders in seeking truth and justice on atrocities committed under this dark regime.

AFAD strongly condemns the decision of the Prime Minister’s Office to uphold its former decision to deregister Odhikar.

Manila: The Asian Federation against Involuntary Disappearances strongly condemns the decision of the Prime Minister’s office in Bangladesh to uphold its decision to deregister Odhikar, one of the most credible human rights organisations in the South Asian region.

Protect, not Persecute Human Rights Defenders: AFAD Commemorates the International Day of the Disappeared

31 August 2022

Manila:  On the International Day of the Disappeared 2022, the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) calls for the protection, NOT PERSECUTION, of human rights defenders and advocates.

Years after the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on Enforced Disappearance and the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (ICPPED), the practice of enforced disappearance chillingly persists. Enforced disappearance is defined as a crime against humanity and the worst type of human rights violation as it puts a person completely outside the protection of the law.

Joint Press Statement 30 August 2022 Kathmandu, Nepal

On the occasion of the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances (30 August), we, the undersigned victims’ groups, national and international organizations urge the Government of Nepal, to take urgent steps to ensure the rights to truth, justice and reparations of the families of the enforced disappeared.