- Category: Statements
Urge the Lee Jae-myung Government
On the eve of the UN-designated International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances (August 30), we gather to deliver our urgent appeal to the Government of the Republic of Korea and the international community.
For decades, North Korea has systematically carried out enforced disappearances and arbitrary detention of South Korean POWs, abductees during and after the Korean War, South Korean citizens, and North Korean escapees. The 2014 UN Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the DPRK (COI) concluded that these state-organized abductions and non-repatriations constitute crimes against humanity, estimating more than 200,000 victims.
- Category: Statements
On the International Day of the Disappeared 2025, we honor the courage of families who continue to speak out.
Letters written by victim families remind us of the pain, resilience, and unyielding demand for justice that this day represents.
Read the full letters here:
2) Letter by Mallika Amma, wife of a disappeared, a Sinhalese from Galle District, South, Sri Lanka
3) Letter by Ibrahim Abdullah, son of a disappeared, Pakistan
5) Letter by Chandrakala Upreti, wife of the Disappeared, Banke, Lumbini Province, Nepal
6) Letter by Anisha Islam Insha, Daughter of disappeared, Ismail Hossain Baten, Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Category: Statements
Odhikar unequivocally condemns the practice of enforced disappearance in Bangladesh and anywhere else in the world. This grave violation not only strips individuals of their liberty and dignity, but also inflicts lasting trauma on their families and communities. Enforced disappearance constitutes a crime under international law and must be addressed through urgent, effective, and rights-based measures.
- Category: Statements
Joint Statement by Defence of Human Rights, Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), Amnesty International Group 40 USA, Advocacy Forum-Nepal, CVSJ, Asian Federation Against Involuntary & Enforced Disappearances (AFAD), Baloch Voice for Justice, Baloch Yakjeeti Committee (BYC), Citizens' Alliance for North Korean Human Rights (NKHR), CAGE UK, FIND Philippines, Families of the Disappeared (FOD), Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), International Coalition against Enforced Disappearances (ICAED), Jonas Burgos Movement, KontraS, Karapatan, Desaparecidos (Families of the Disappeared for Justice), Latin American Federation of Associations for Relatives of the Detained-Disappeared (FEDEFAM), Mothers of Plaza de Mayo Founding Line, Odhikar, Sindhian National Congress and Voice for Missing Persons of Sindh.
- Category: Statements
On this year’s International Day of Criminal Justice, the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) stands in solidarity with the families of victims of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances in the Philippines and across Asia who continue to fight for truth, justice, and accountability.
- Category: Statements
Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) and the Families of Victims of Involuntary Disappearance (FIND) On the Supreme Court's Issuance of Writs of Amparo and Habeas Data in Favor of James Jazmines and the Directive to the Marcos Jr. Administration
The Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) and the Families of Victims of Involuntary Disappearance (FIND) in the Philippines welcome the recent decision of the Supreme Court of the Philippines in G.R. No. 276816, dated May 6, 2025, granting the Writs of Amparo and Habeas Data in favor of James Valera Jazmines, a disappeared activist from Albay. This rare and crucial development is a reaffirmation of the judiciary's constitutional role in safeguarding human rights and upholding the right to truth, justice, and protection against enforced disappearances.
- Category: Statements
18 June 2025. On the eve of the 48th birthday of Khurram Parvez, a globally respected human rights defender from Indian-administered Kashmir, we, the undersigned organizations, renew our call for his immediate and unconditional release. Khurram has now spent over three and a half years in arbitrary detention under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) – an Indian
counter-terrorism law that has been widely condemned by experts and the United Nations (UN) for violating legal rules and norms, including by enabling prolonged pre-trial incarceration.
- Category: Statements
We, the undersigned international human rights organizations, urge the Interim Government of Bangladesh to extend the mandate of the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances until at least December 31, 2025. While the Commission’s mandate is set to expire on June 30, victims and their families deserve adequate time for the Commission to complete its mandate to conduct independent, impartial, and credible investigations into the disappearances that took place under Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government over the past fifteen years.