Colombia: Committee on Enforced Disappearances welcomes significant step to examine complaints

GENEVA (31 August 2022) – The UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances on Wednesday welcomed the declaration by the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to recognise the Committee’s competence to investigate individual complaints and interstate communications. It commended that the decision is a significant step forward in the country’s human rights development and will enhance the protection of victims of enforced disappearance. The Committee issued the following statement:

“We welcome the declaration by the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Cancillería) on 30 August 2022 recognising the competence of the Committee on Enforced Disappearances to examine individual complaints and interstate communications.

The crime of enforced disappearance is a particularly heinous violation of human rights, causing severe suffering for the disappeared and their relatives and involving multiple violations of human rights. The impunity and lack of reparation that frequently surround enforced disappearances aggravates victims' suffering and leads to their re-victimisation.

The individual complaints procedure before the Committee on Enforced Disappearances enables victims to seek reparation at the international level after exhausting national remedies. It thus empowers victims, families and relatives in their daily fight for truth and justice. We congratulate Colombia for further helping the relatives of the disappeared and their supporting groups in their battle by accepting the competence of the Committee to examine individual complaints.

Once the declaration has entered into force, the Committee will be able to receive and consider communications from, or on behalf of, individuals claiming to be victims of a violation of any of their rights contained in the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, as per Article 31 of the Convention.

Article 32 will also allow the Committee to receive communications from a State Party alleging that another State Party is not fulfilling its obligations under the Convention. Both procedures enhance the protection of victims of enforced disappearances in Colombia.

The declaration will take effect once it is submitted to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, and we invite Colombia to take this decisive step as soon as possible.”