Working Group on enforced or involuntary disappearances concludes its 109th session

GENEVA (18 May 2016) – The United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances concluded its 109th session, which took place in Geneva from 9 to 18 May.

The Working Group examined under its urgent action procedure 203 reported cases of enforced disappearances that have occurred in the last few months – concerning Bahrain, Colombia, Egypt, Jordan, Mexico, Morocco, Pakistan, Rwanda, and the United Arab Emirates - as well as nearly 600 cases, including newly-reported cases outside the urgent action procedure and updated information on previously accepted ones.

Other countries whose cases were examined during the session are: Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Burundi, Chile, China, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, El Salvador, Eritrea, Greece, Honduras, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kenya, Kuwait, Libya, Maldives, Peru, Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Russia, South Sudan, Spain, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkey, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Venezuela and Zimbabwe.

The group of independent experts also focused on specific country situations, in particular regarding the obstacles encountered in the implementation of the Declaration on the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearance.* The Working Group reviewed responses from various Governments to prompt intervention letters, general allegations and urgent appeals. Members also discussed their forthcoming and potential country visits, as well as future activities, including their forthcoming visit to South Sudan, which is scheduled to take place in the last quarter of 2016.

During the session, the Working Group discussed its upcoming reports to the Human Rights Council, including its annual report, the country visit reports on Peru, Sri Lanka and Turkey, and the follow-up reports on Congo and Pakistan. The experts also continued to discuss a number of thematic issues of relevance to the mandate, including the matter of enforced disappearances in the context of migration, and enforced disappearances and non-state actors. They also discussed the issue of access and management of the Working Group’s archives.   

The experts met with relatives of disappeared persons and non-governmental organizations.  They also held meetings with representatives of the Governments of Egypt, Japan, Maldives, Pakistan, Sudan and Ukraine. The Working Group continued its practice to meet with regional groups by holding a meeting with representatives of the Western European and Others Group of the Human Rights Council. It also met with the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the President of the Human Rights Council

The Working Group will hold its 110th session from 19 to 23 September 2016, in Geneva.

(*) Check the Declaration:  http://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/EnforcedDisappearance.aspx

ENDS

The Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances is comprised of five independent experts from all regions of the world. The Chair-Rapporteur is Ms. Houria Es-Slami (Morocco) and the Vice-Chair is Mr. Bernard Duhaime (Canada); other members are Mr. Tae-Ung Baik (Republic of Korea), Mr. Ariel Dulitzky (Argentina) and Mr. Henrikas Mickevicius (Lithuania).

The Working Group was established by the UN Commission on Human Rights in 1980 to assist families in determining the fate and whereabouts of disappeared relatives. It endeavours to establish a channel of communication between the families and the Governments concerned, to ensure that individual cases are investigated, with the objective of clarifying the whereabouts of persons who, having disappeared, are placed outside the protection of the law. It continues to address cases of disappearances until they are resolved. The Working Group also provides assistance in the implementation by States of the United Nations Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. For more information on the Working Group, log on to: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Disappearances/Pages/DisappearancesIndex.aspx

How to submit cases to the Working Group?: http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/issues/Disappearances/Communication_form_E.doc

Read the Working Group’s 2015 report to the UN Human Rights Council and post-sessional documents http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Disappearances/Pages/Annual.aspx

For more information and media requests, please contact Mr. Ugo Cedrangolo (+41 22 9179286, ucedrangolo@ohchr.org or wgeid@ohchr.org)