30 August 2021 – To commemorate the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, AJAR and our partners held a webinar themed “The Need of Truth and Justice for Victims and Family of Disappeared, Lessons from Asia and Latin America”. The panel of speakers include Jose Luis de Oliveira, Director of AJAR Timor-Leste, Om Prakash Sen Thakuri, Director of Advocacy Forum-Nepal, Leonor Arteaga, Commissioner of the National Search Commission of El Salvador CONABÚSQUEDA (El Salvador), and Jeremy Sarkin, Academician, Former Chairperson UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances.
Enforced disappearance is an international crime and a grave human rights violation that has been used as a tool of repression throughout the world. It also results in psychological trauma, economic and social dislocation, and fragmentation within families. This violation is ongoing until the disappeared individual is located; until which time their families – also victims of this atrocity – must endure the pain of not knowing what has happened to their loved one.
There is a state responsibility in providing the right to truth and justice for victims and families of the disappeared. There is a need to establish an effective mechanism which has a strong mandate to search for the disappeared and deliver reparation for victims. On the other hand, the justice mechanism and accountability process for perpetrators has to be established.
Asia Justice and Rights (AJAR) organized a public webinar which aims to raise awareness and build international solidarity on the issue of enforced disappearances, by bringing together practitioners, civil society organizations and families of the disappeared to share the lessons learned and experiences on the CSOs initiatives in pursuing truth and justice for the disappeared.
Watch the full discussion below