Standing in Remembrance of Sombath; Standing for Truth and Justice for the Disappeared

A Forum Statement in Commemoration of the 2015 International Day of the Disappeared

27 August 2015, Quezon City, Philippines – All struggles against injustice represent the struggle of memory against forgetting.  In commemoration of the International Day of the Disappeared, we, the families of the disappeared, human rights defenders, civil society organizations, members of the diplomatic community, students, acclaimed community leaders, who are gathered in this forum titled “Return Sombath Safely! Surface All the Disappeared,” renew our commitment to never forget the injustices brought upon the victims of enforced disappearances and their families, and intensify our call for truth and justice.

Organized by the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD), the forum aims to raise awareness on the cruel and inhuman practice of enforced disappearances. Enforced disappearances remains to be a global phenomenon; the United Nations Working Group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances (UNWGEID) has received more than 53,000 cases of enforced disappearances from 84 states. Particularly, the forum highlights the case of Sombath Somphone, a Lao PDR citizen, who as of today has been disappeared for 986 days.   Notable is that the global magnitude of enforced disappearances compelled the United Nations to adopt the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance with an independent monitoring body to ensure implementation.

TEN YEARS IS TOO LONG A WAIT FREEDOM TO MASOOD JANJUA NOW!

Statement of the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances on the 10th Year of Mr. Masood Janjua’s Enforced Disappearance

Of all the agonizing hardships that a person has to face, it is the excruciating pain of waiting without certainty, which is the worst. A woman’s profound love endures a long wait. The relentless struggle in waiting with uncertainty amidst all odds for the return of a loved one is an important strength Amina Masood, Chairperson of Defence for Human Rights of Pakistan, has as she commemorates today her husband’s 10th anniversary of disappearance.

Amina Masood Janjua’s Search for MASOOD JANJUA

Freedom for Masood  Janjua - Ten years too much!!

Here I am in the 10th year of struggle for the release of my secretly detained loving husband Masood Janjua. It suddenly transpired to me that it’s the 10th year and Masood is still detained!! Years and years of tireless efforts, sleepless nights and agonizing grief could not bring him back. It struck me with a newest intensity of pain like never before.

eBook: From Grief to Courage: Best Practices in Advocating Legislation Against Enforced Disappearances

“From Grief to Courage,” this fifth book of the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) is launched on the occasion of AFAD’s 17th year as a Federation. A product of the conference on “Best Practices in Advocating Legislation Against Enforced Disappearances,” the book chronicles best practices in many of the countries represented in the conference, which went beyond advocating for legislation against enforced disappearances.

The book attempts to share the results of AFAD’s solidarity work at its best. It highlights the strength of the responses of the international community to the global phenomenon of enforced disappearances and the hard-earned fruits that have come to some realization in some regions and which we strive to replicate in our continent, where disappearances continue and where truth and justice remain elusive.

Every best practice is a concrete manifestation of the struggle of memory against forgetting. The evil of enforced disappearance is being equally responded to by the formidable strength of the families of the disappeared, whose role in the fight against this abominable crime is central. Hand in hand with the families is the indispensable support of civil society, as enforced disappearance is a social crime.