ICJ statement on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances in South Asia
August 29, 2016;
The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) and the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) held a Conference on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances in South Asia on the eve of the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances (30 August).
Lawyers and activists who attended the conference called on South Asian States to immediately criminalize enforced disappearance to address cases of enforced disappearances cases in the region. South Asia has among the highest number of alleged victims of enforced disappearances in the world: tens of thousands of cases have been documented in Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan and India, and since 2009, there has also been a surge in enforced disappearances in Bangladesh.
The full statement can be accessed here:
http://www.icj.org/south-asian-states-must-criminalize-enforced-disappearances-and-give-justice-to-thousands-of-victims/
**** Human Right Alert (HRA) also participated in the Colombo conference and the Tombisana School mass grave case was highlighted. It was noted that one of the reason why the investigation on the case has not been done with the urgency it deserves is because "enforced disappearances" is not clearly defined as a crime in India, as required under the international law.
* This Press Release was sent to e-pao.net by Human Right Alert (HRA)
This Press Release was posted on August 30 2016
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