- Category: Statements
Today, on International Women’s Day, AFAD pays tribute to the strength of all women, to those who have played a major role in the fight against enforced disappearances in the past and to those who continue their struggle for truth and justice today.
- Category: Statements
GENEVA (24 February 2017) – United Nations human rights experts* are calling on Bangladesh to act now to halt an increasing number of enforced disappearances in the country.
The UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances says the number of cases has risen from a few isolated cases a few years ago, to more than 40 now, and that the number is continuing to grow. Independent reports blame the Rapid Action Battalion of the Bangladesh Police for several disappearances and extra-judicial executions, notably of political opponents of the Government.
- Category: Statements
- Category: News
AFAD wins Asia Democracy and Human Rights Award
Ms.Mary Aileen Bacalso, the secretary general of AFAD said the winning of the award will amplify their efforts and gains here in Asia especially coming from Taiwan which had a common experience of forced disappearances by the government before the lifting of the martial law in July 1987.
- Category: Statements
A mere 24 months after their launch, the transitional justice (TJ) mechanisms of Nepal face closing down. TRIAL International, REDRESS, HimRights, Advocacy Forum and JuRI-Nepal urge the Government of Nepal to extend their mandate and provide them with sufficient resources. The process must be accompanied by legislative changes and guarantees against political interference.
- Category: Statements
The Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Person (CIEDP) and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) (herein after ‘the commissions’) were established with an objective to investigate the cases of human rights and humanitarian law violation during the armed conflict of Nepal in order to seek the truth, provide reparation to victims, ensure justice and guarantee its non-repetition. However, the two year mandate of the commissions is concluding without any significant achievement. Conflict victims and human rights groups express their serious dissatisfaction towards the failure of the commissions to fulfill their mandated objectives.
- Category: Statements
February 7th, 2017 – Ten years ago today, the text of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, which had been adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 20 December 2006, finally opened for signature on 6 February 2007. During the signing ceremony, 57 states signed.
- Category: Statements
Manila, 1 February 2017 – Since the beginning of 2017, a new wave of enforced disappearances has been affecting Pakistan. According to local media, only in the first week of the month 4 activists have reportedly disappeared: Waqas Goraya and Asim Saeed (January 4, 2017); Salman Haider (January 6, 2017) and Ahmad Raza Naseer (January 7, 2017).