AFAD STATEMENT ON THE DECISION OF THE KUMAR LAMA CASE

Manila, September 13, 2016 – AFAD expresses its deepest regret over the decision of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) of the UK not to initiate re-trial of Colonel Kumar Lama, Nepali Army officer, from the charge of torture.

Colonel Kumar Lama had been arrested more than three years ago and charged for two counts of torture that took place in Nepal in 2004. The UK had exercised its universal jurisdiction to prosecute individuals who have committed torture and other gross human rights violations. Mr. Janak Bahadur Raut and Mr. Karim Hussain had been the subject of torture in Gorusinghe Barrack and suffered torture in 2004.

The State of Enforced Disappearances in the Philippines

The State of Enforced Disappearances in the Philippines
September 21, 2016 • 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Palais des Nations • Room XXI

DISAPPEARED BUT NOT FORGOTTEN AFAD Commemorates the International Day of the Disappeared 2016

Manila, 30 August 2016 – On this day, the International Day of the Disappeared (IDD), the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) pays tribute to the thousands of disappeared people in Asia and all over the world, and to their families.

This day was first commemorated 36 years ago by the Latin American Federation of Associations of Relatives of Disappeared-Detainees (FEDEFAM) and was later adopted by similar formations in other parts of the world. Recognizing that the crime of enforced disappearance has reached a global scale, the United Nations officially declared this day as the International Day of the Disappeared in 2011.

BANGLADESH: We demand justice! Stop enforced disappearances and return the disappeared to their families!

Statement of Odhikar to commemorate the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances

Dhaka, August 30, 2016 – Enforced disappearance is both a violation of human rights and a crime against humanity. When a state is accused for committing enforced disappearance, it opens new challenges for human rights defenders. Recognizing these challenges and the fact that existing Treaties were not enough to fight this gross violation, the UN decided a new international treaty was needed to prevent the crime of enforced disappearance. The International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance was adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 20, 2006 and the treaty entered into force on December 23, 2010.