The Desaparecidos
are Present in our
Minds and Hearts
(AFAD
Statement on the International Day of the Disappeared )
August 30,
2007
By nature, enforced
disappearance is considered as "the perfect crime" since both the victim
and the perpetrators "give no evidence and provide no identification"
thus making it difficult to produce "negative reactions in world
opinion." (Schirmer) The disappearance of physical and tangible
evidences of crime allows this "crime against humanity" to freely
inflict terror like ghosts, as it escapes the borders of reason.
As this crime thrives in a culture of
impunity, victims of disappearances are left in a limbo of existence and
non-existence; of remembrance and oblivion; of life and death. The
bereaved families, on the other hand, are torn between hope and despair;
of remembering and forgetting; of living and dying.
Quite significantly, however, families
have shown great resilience from succumbing to depression, forgetting
and hopelessness. They constantly found ways to carry on with their
lives, finding hope and courage to fight for Truth and Justice in memory
of their vanished husbands, brothers, sons, wives, sisters, and
daughters.
In Latin America, where hundreds of
thousands disappeared during the years of dictatorships, one way of
remembering the disappeared loved ones is by calling out their names and
shouting "ˇpresente!" to signify that the memories of the
desaparecidos are still very much present in the hearts and minds of
their families, relatives and friends; that the state may have erased
them from the face of the earth but they shall never ever be forgotten.
On the occasion of the International
Day of the Disappeared, the Asian Federation Against Involuntary
Disappearances joins the families of the victims of this very cruel form
of human rights violation in remembering all the desaparecidos
around the world. It also celebrates the successful adoption of the UN
International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced
Disappearance, more importantly the signing of 61 states signifying
their pledge to respect and safeguard people's rights. We hope that
more states would sign and ratify this crucial instrument soon.
Furthermore, the Federation salutes all
the families for becoming more than just survivors but warriors in the
face of repression. They have served as the motor for the fight for
the life of the disappeared, for the fight against impunity, for the
fight for Truth and Justice, for the fight to Respect the Right Not to
be Disappeared, and for the fight for a world without disappearances.
In solidarity with them, let us all
shout, "ˇPRESENTE!
Signed:
|
MUGIYANTO |
MARY AILEEN D.
BACALSO |
|
Chairperson
Asian
Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances |
Secretary-General
Asian Federation
Against Involuntary Disappearances
|
