An article from International Coalition Against Enforced Disappearances (ICAED)forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission
The International Coalition Against Enforced Disappearances (ICAED) has published a Primer on the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance for NGOs. Prof. Emmanuel Decaux,President of the Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED)has written the Preface of the Primer. The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to share the Preface below. For reading the whole publication, please click on Primer on the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.
Preface:
Enforced disappearance is not – not only – an omen of history, a crime from the past, linked with totalitarian regimes and military dictatorships of the XX° century. It is a bur-den for modern societies which have the duty to respect, to protect and fulfill human rights, especially for the victims of enforced disappearance, through the right to truth and to justice, the fight against impunity, and a guarantee of non-repetition.
Enforced disappearance is the cruel negation of the rule of law and the right to habeas corpus, it is the deprivation of such basic rights as human dignity and legal personality. It is a ―black hole‖ in the domestic network of rights and duties, of safeguards and remedies. It is a timeless tragedy for relatives and communities abandoned to their plight, without an answer to their queries about beloved ones. It is a longing ordeal, with hope against all hope …
International cooperation, legal accountability and independent scrutiny are crucial to upkeep the best standards of human rights, especially for such a ―complex phenome-non‖ as enforced disappearance. The International Convention for the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearance is a powerful tool to enact preventive measures and early warning mechanisms, to adopt a legal framework in order to criminalize enforced disappearance as an autonomous crime and as a crime against humanity.
Each year, the UN General Assembly adopts by consensus a resolution on the Convention, sponsored by Argentina, France and Morocco, urging Member States to ratify this universal treaty and to support the activities of the Committee on Enforced Disappearances. Moreover, the Secretary General of the UN makes a strong call for ratification during the International Day of the Disappeared, on August 30.
On behalf of the Committee on Enforced Disappearances, the treaty-body composed of independent experts instituted five years ago and that acts as a caretaker of the new Convention, I hope that these dynamics of ratification will reach every State and all continents. This must be a priority for the international community with the support of all stakeholders, especially civil society. I take this opportunity to commend the dedication and courage of grassroots NGOs across the network of the International Coalition Against Enforced Disappearances (ICAED).
Prof. Emmanuel Decaux
President of the Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED)
The views shared in this article do not necessarily reflect that of the AHRC.
