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Cover
Table of Contents
Editorial
- Families of the Disappeared Unite!
Cover Story
-They do not ask for Charity… They demand Justice!
Country Situations
New Hopes for Ending Impunity in China
And Disappearances Continue…
Four-Year Effort To Reveal Disappearances: A Reflection
An Individual Tragedy With Universal Pain
The Human Rights Commission in
Sri Lanka
Photos:
Forum and Leadership Training
Legal Analysis
The UN Negotiation on the Draft Treaty…
Political Analysis
Showdown in Baghdad
Features
Daddy’s Diary
News Features
The Nilo Valerio Foundation’s Coming Into Being
No Closure ‘till Justice is Achieved
The Formation of Indonesian Association…
Year-End Report
– A Summary
2002 Revisited
Literary
Warning
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YEAR END REPORT - A SUMMARY
2002 Revisited
 The year 2002 has proven AFAD’s viability and relevance to the signs of the times. Amidst organizational turmoil, the Federation transcended differences in many respects. The dynamics of its international solidarity, lobby and campaign, notwithstanding limitations in human and material resources, transcended organizational problems and threats that came along the way.
The essence of the Federation’s existence, solidarity work soared to greater heights when the Federation, after four years in existence, reached out to the families of the disappeared and other human rights violations in China and Pakistan. Two new members were added to the Federation, which, for years, was composed of only five organizations. The Tiananmen Mothers of China and the Truth and Justice Commission of Pakistan were accepted as new members.
AFAD did not limit itself solely to the confines of regional concerns. A partner of
FEDEFAM in the struggle against impunity, it also responded to the challenge of sharing its experience to other continents. Next to
FEDEFAM, AFAD has been regarded by other continents as an example of the efforts for unity by organizations concerned with involuntary disappearances. The Union of Associations of Missing Defenders in the former Yugoslavia, which convened a conference held in Croatia in November and participated by some 500 families of the victims of the former Yugoslavia, saluted AFAD for its efforts to unite in order to end impunity. AFAD’s examples have been valued by the RADIF – West Africa, which, through the support of Linking Solidarity, recently formed a network of organizations concerned with involuntary disappearances. Together with
FEDEFAM, AFAD attended a conference held in the Republic of Benin sponsord by Linking Solidarity and Gerddes-Africa, which aimed to form an African network.
Amidst the pain of the families of the disappeared and other victims of involuntary disappearances and other human rights violations, AFAD serves as a venue of expression of solidarity. It is hard proof that the problem of involuntary disappearance is not an isolated problem, but a universal one. AFAD reassures families of the disappeared in many parts of the world that they are not alone in the struggle.
International lobbying saw initial but yet concrete results. Modestly contributing to the effort towards the establishment of a legally-binding instrument protecting all persons from enforced or involuntary disappearances, AFAD has seen results concretely in the decisions of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights to call for a two-week meeting of the inter-sessional body created to study the Draft Convention of the Protection of All Persons from Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances. The unified voice of AFAD at the United Nations reaffirmed the fact that involuntary disappearance is not solely a Latin American problem as many Asian governments would like to project.
Moreover, the international presence of AFAD in Sri Lanka, Bangkok and Indonesia, where Federation’s activities were conducted, delivered a message that national efforts are well-supported by common struggles in other countries. Consequently, pressures have been exerted so that these governments would do something concrete, or else, be subjected to the moral sanction of embarrassment before the international community.
 The conference of NGOs in consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council and NGOs seeking such consultative status held in Bangkok, Thailand enabled AFAD to present the regional phenomenon of involuntary disappearances and to network with some 500 Asian NGOs. The issue of involuntary disappearances in the region was included in one of the important points in the concluding statement of the conference.
The campaign for justice, attempts to sustain the resolutions of the Asian and Latin American Lawyers’ Conference were made through the conduct of a National Lawyers’ Conference in Colombo, Sri Lanka and the holding of a summing-up of past efforts. The lawyers deemed it fit to prioritize the campaign for the enactment of domestic laws criminalizing enforced or involuntary disappearances. The Philippine experience of lobbying for the bill, entitled “AN Act Criminalizing Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances and For Other Purposes” is an example for the Asian Countries.
The Voice, the official publication of AFAD, has been true to its role of serving as the Federation’s mouthpiece. Moreover, it modestly attempts to be an instrument for raising public awareness on the scourge of involuntary disappearances in Asia and the rest of the world.
Still lacking, however, is the strengthening of individual member-organizations, inter-member cooperation and healthy communication among member-organizations and between the member-organizations and the Regional Federation Consolidation at all levels would certainly be a guarantee for a stronger response to the global problem of enforced or involuntary disappearances. It is both a task and a challenge.
VOICE April 2003
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