Shocked!
This was what many Kashmiris felt after Indian police
took the foundation stone for an intended desaparecidos' monument
in Srinagar on July 18, 2001. Parvez Imroz of the Association of Parents
of Disappeared Persons (APDP) said that the action of the security force
was unexpected, disappointing many of the families who had gathered for
the ceremony hours earlier.
"The ceremony was reported by the local and
international press; but on the next days, both the APDP was shocked the
next day when it learned that the plaque stone along with foundation wall
was removed after several hours at the behest of Police inspector Ashok
Bhan, " Parvez said.
The authorities justified their action by saying that
no such edifice can be erected in State land and then accused the
organizers of "tresspassing."
The monument was conceptualized by APDP after
interacting with similar organizations in Sri Lanka, The Philippines,
Indonesia, Thailand and Latin America and after support from the local
business community and civil society organizations. Since they wanted the
project to be a purely civil society and family initiative, no funds were
accepted from either political organizations or government sources.
As this piece is being written, no word has been made
by the Indian government on what they plan to do with the foundation
stone.
On August 30, 2001, member-organizations of the Asian
Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) joined the whole
world in commemorating the International Day of the Disappeared. An annual
event to remember and honor all those who were abducted and forcibly
"disappeared" by the State perpetrators, the said affairs also aims
to express global solidarity among survivors and family members alike and
serve as a focal point of advocacy in human rights protection and
promotion.
In Asia, the commemoration was headed by the AFAD with
major activities held in the Federation's member-countries. An AFAD-produced
slide presentation was launched in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the
Philippines, along with the publication of the book Between Memory and
Impunity which chronicles the highlights of the first-ever Asian and Latin
American Lawyers' Conference held in Jakarta, Indonesia late last year.
Intended as part of the Federation's consciousness-raising program,
organizers hope that both the book and the slide presentation would
generate enough support for the on-going justice campaign from ordinary
citizens and inspire all governments to protect human rights through
global cooperation.
Issuing a statement to mark the event, AFAD said that,
"the struggle of the desaparecidos is the struggle of society as a
whole - not just of the families, not just the bereaved, not just of the
victimized." Recalling the need for a holistic approach to the phenomenon,
the statement further added that, "healing cannot come due to the
expiation of a few individuals but from the collective endeavor of our
peoples through their advocacy, justified rage and remembrance."
The Latin American Federation of Association of
Relatives of Disappeared Detainees (FEDEFAM) also expressed
solidarity with their Asian counterparts in the struggle for human rights.
In a statement presented for the said occasion, FEDEFAM said that,
"the disappeared are present despite their involuntary or forced
disappearance. They are present in the struggle of their loved ones for
truth and justice. They are present because we refuse to resign ourselves
to that cold indifference about their fate which the practice of
involuntary disappearances pretends to install in society."
FEDEFAM's Executive Secretary Ms. Judith
Galarza, in a personal note, also stated that the two Federations shall
"continue to be always present, denouncing the crime of involuntary
disappearance and work for its eventual eradication in Latin America,
Asia, Africa, Europe and the rest of the world because it is indeed, a
crime against humanity."
In the Philippines, the event was marked by a simple
morning program at the Ateneo de Manila University, the country's premiere
Catholic School, which was attended by 500 participants from the academe,
the local human rights community, government and the families. The
activity was even covered by the country's top television network.
A day before the activity, no less than Philippine
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo held a meeting with representatives from
AFAD's Philippine counterpart - the Families of Victims of Involuntary
Disappearance (FIND) - where she promised to support the UN Draft
Convention on the Protection of of All Persons from Enforced or
Involuntary Disappearances. A follow-up meeting with Vice President
Teofisto Guingona was held two weeks after who then reiterated the
President's plegde.
A similar event was held in Sri Lnaka, further
highlighted by the protest marches in Colombo, Kegalla and Gampaha
Meerigama. The organizers, however, suffered from extreme logistical
limitations due to the drought that has affected five major districts in
the island.
Indonesia, through KontraS, had a one week
commemoration, with their activity culminating on August 30.
