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: JURIST - The Paper Chase

UN rights officials call for end to enforced disappearances

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

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[JURIST] The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights commemorated the International Day of the Disappeared Monday, calling on states to eliminate enforced disappearances and ratify the International Convention for the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearance. Jemery Sarkin, chairperson of the UN working group on enforced disappearances, said the signing the treaty was important because enforced disappearances, "affect many people worldwide, and a particular impact on women and children ... When women are victims of disappearance themselves, they are particularly vulnerable to sexual and other forms of violence." Also Monday, protesters in Srinagar, Belgrade, and Manila marked the day, renewing calls for government authorities to reveal the whereabouts of their friends and family. The International Convention has been signed by at least 57 countries but has not been ratified by the required 20 to take effect. It has not been endorsed by several countries including the US, England, Spain, Germany, and Italy. In 2008, Guatemala started its first civil war disappearance trial, while the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has recently found Russia responsible for numerous disappearances in Chechnya. The UN has also criticized Sri Lanka for failure to address its problem of enforced disappearances.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on August 31, 2009 (boomark / email).