The first half of the year 2004 has been a very challenging period for the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD). Challenging in the sense that while the phenomenon of enforced or involuntary disappearances remain unresolved and continue unabated especially in Kashmir, India and Indonesia, many untoward incidents occurred which affected AFAD.
While the United Nations Commission on Human Rights convened its 60th session in March-April 2004 in Geneva, Switzerland, four untoward incidents happened in the AFAD network. On March 12, 2004, Thai human rights lawyer, Somchai Neelaphaijit disappeared and was believed to have been taken by the Thai police authorities. The victim remains missing until now. On March 20, 2004, twenty-eight members of the Association of Parents and Family members of the Disappeared in Kashmir, most of whom are women, were brutally beaten, arrested and detained. While most of the victims were released the following day, four leaders were released on bail and continue to face court charges. On March 30, the day of the AFAD Council members' arrival in Geneva to participate in the sessions of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, it was reported that a couple of days earlier, spokesperson of the Tiananmen Mothers, Ding Zilin, together with two others mothers, were arrested and detained by the Chinese police. It came at a time when 10 cases of disappearances during the massacre were about to be submitted to the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances and that the 15th anniversary of the June 4 massacre in Beijing was fast approaching. A month after the Kashmir incident, on April 20, 2004, the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons reported the violent death of Aasiya Jeelani, APDP volunteer and Editor of Voices Unheard and driver Ghulam Nabi and the serious injury of Khurram Parvez and three others. The victims were on an election monitoring duty when a landmine detonated.
AFAD continued to steadfastly witness amidst repression and resistance. The start of the year 2004 saw AFAD being represented by its Chairperson and Secretary-General during a formal meeting of the United Nations Open-Ended Working Group to Elaborate a Draft Legally Binding Normative Instrument for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances. Lobbying for the eventual establishment of a treaty protecting persons from disappearances has been the core of AFAD's work in cooperation with the Latin American Federation of Associations of Relatives of Disappeared-Detainees (FEDEFAM) and the African Network Against Disappearances (RADIF).
The following month, AFAD co-sponsored with the Forum Asia and the Committee for the International Criminal Court (ICC) the First Asian Victims' Forum on the ICC held in Manila, Philippines on February 26-27, 2004. No less than Judge Erkki Koroula served as a resource person. The conference was participated in by survivors who are the stakeholders of the ICC - a very important achievements in international human rights work. AFAD member-organizations were represented during the event. Lobbying for ratification from Asian governments was then a challenge for all the participants, most of whom neither signed nor ratified the said instrument.
Towards the end of March and early April, the AFAD Council attended the 60th session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, Switzerland. Once again, AFAD Council members and some of its members delivered oral interventions and spoke to Asian governments about disappearances in Asia and lobbied for their governments' support for the United Nations Draft Convention on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances. Moreover, AFAD, together with like-minded organizations from other parts of the world, met with Mr. Diego Garcia-Sayan, the Chairperson of the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (UNWGEID). It was a venue for reviewing the mandate of the Working Group and presenting general situations and specific cases on enforced or involuntary disappearances. One celebrated case presented was the case of the disappearance of Thai human rights lawyer, Somchai Neelaphaijit who disappeared on March 12, 2004.
While efforts in the international level were made to lobby governments for moral, material and political support, continuing efforts were exerted on the local level to disseminate information to the different foreign embassies based in Manila and in other cities as well. As AFAD is based in the Philippines, the AFAD Secretariat continues to relate with these embassies by inviting them to attend AFAD activities in the Philippines and providing them with copies of the AFAD publications. AFAD, on the other hand, was invited to attend functions of some embassies.
One very important lobby activity is the AFAD Council's meeting with the United Nations Office of the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila, Philippines. This occurred on June 3, 2004 when AFAD representatives from different countries were in the Philippines to attend the 6th AFAD anniversary, the 15th anniversary of the Tiananmen Massacre and a Gender Sensitivity Conference. It was a venue to press the Philippine Government's position on the Draft Convention on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. AFAD also brought to the attention of the said office the number of cases submitted to the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances and the need for an official response from the Philippine government.
A significant accomplishment during the period was the three-day lobby training and planning facilitated by Linking Solidarity which sought funding for the activity. International human rights lawyer, Atty. Cecilia Jimenez, served as the main resource person. The training, provided insights for AFAD members, thus raising their lobbying experience at the theoretical plane and furthermore, ensuring more effectiveness and efficiency in this important aspect of the work.
This same effort was duplicated during the very recent visit of AFAD's Secretary-General to Sri Lanka wherein, among many other objectives, she, together with the OPFMD, also visited the UN Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
A major synchronized effort of AFAD in the countries where the member-organizations are based is the series of discussions on the UN Draft Convention on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances. In Sri Lanka, especially, a series of discussions among lawyers, human rights defenders, NGO workers and families of the disappeared is on-going through the support of Asia Foundation. The results of the discussions of AFAD's member organizations will serve as the official position of AFAD on the different provisions of the text, which will be used for lobbying at the United Nations in Geneva.
On Public Information and Campaigns, AFAD members commemorated their 6th Anniversary in Manila, Philippines on June 4, 2004 through a Public Forum. Chairperson of the Philippine Commission on Good Government, Haydee Yorac, served as the keynote speaker. A press conference was conducted to conclude the occasion. This event served as an opening to the three-day Gender Sensitivity Conference held in Baguio City, Philippines. It was also an occasion to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the Tiananmen Massacre wherein t-shirts were distributed for the purpose of projecting the issue to the public.
AFAD has been consistent with the timely releases of its magazine, The Voice. Distributed to its member-organizations, to the diplomatic community, to government and non-government agencies, as the name itself suggests, the magazine, serves as the voice of the federation especially so that country situations vis-à-vis disappearances are projected.
AFAD also issued timely statements both on issues of immediate concern, such as the above-mentioned untoward events that happened to its member-organizations and during traditionally commemorated events. During this period, AFAD commemorated the International Week of the Disappeared. It is very important to note that once again, the Tiananmen Mothers Campaign (TMC) Group and the Organization of Parents and Family Members of the Disappeared (OPFMD) organized pickets in front of the Indian embassy in their respective countries to respond to the arrest and detention of 28 APDP members. Furthermore, most AFAD member-organizations sent letters of condolence to APDP and the families of the dead victims of the landmine blast in Kashmir.
The spontaneous responses of the AFAD Secretariat and member-organizations to the untoward incidents that happened in Kashmir, China and Thailand were concrete expressions of solidarity.
To ensure that AFAD's program responds more appropriately to the needs of its constituency, who are mostly women, AFAD, for the first time, conducted a three-day Gender Sensitivity Conference held in Baguio City, Philippines. The three-day conference resulted in more updated knowledge of the situation of women in Asia, specifically the families of the disappeared and the incorporation of the gender issue to the three-year plan of AFAD.
To concretely respond to the needs of the families of the disappeared, AFAD continues the final phase of the implementation of its rehabilitation work in Indonesia, Kashmir and Pakistan, while it started its rehabilitation work in Sri Lanka. All these events came in various forms, e.g. education/therapy sessions for families of victims in Indonesia, scholarships for the children of the disappeared in Kashmir, livelihood programs for the families in Pakistan and revolving funds for livelihood programs for families in Sri Lanka.
One important form of solidarity is country visitation. In February 2004, the AFAD Secretary-General visited the members of the Relatives Committee of the May 1992 Heroes to discuss the recent developments of the Federation and their immediate plans. Another very recent country visit was the visit to the Organization of Parents and Family Members of the Disappeared (OPFMD). After two years and a half, the AFAD Secretary-General visited the Organization of Parents and Family Members of the Disappeared (OPFMD) in Sri Lanka on June 21-27, 2004. The multi-purpose visit garnered positive results vis-à-vis campaign and lobby work as well as concrete assistance to the families of the victims, not to mention the fulfillment of other administrative tasks.
To continue to ensure direct assistance to families of the victims, rehabilitation work were implementation in varying forms through the kind support of Evangelischer Entwinglungdienst (EED) in Indonesia , Kashmir, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
With all these tasks accomplished amidst a situation of intense repression, the AFAD Council held its regular organizational meeting in Geneva to particularize the plan for 2004 and to discuss its financial situation. Moreover, it discussed and approved the comprehensive audited report of 2003. Much remains to be done in terms of ensuring that AFAD Council members function collectively and without giving too much burden to the Secretary-General. The AFAD Secretariat, as always, remains skeletal, with two full-time workers and one part time Bookkeeper.
Funding remains inadequate, but efforts to write proposals initially garnered positive results. AFAD continues to receive funds from HIVOS. Its proposals to the Dutch, French and Swiss embassies in Manila for specific projects also garnered positive responses. It is still waiting for the approval of the other proposals sent to other organizations. With the hope to receive positive responses in the very near future to ensure that immediate projects be realized. It remains to finally finish the projects funded by EED for the final narrative and financial report to be sent and for a possible new partnership to be forged.
As the first half of 2004 has just ended and the second half of the year commenced, AFAD continues its work, not without internal and external difficulties, for the eventual realization of its mission, vision and goals. Its accomplishments during the first half of 2004 gives AFAD the confidence that it will continue to realize small victories for the sake of the families of the disappeared and for the sake of its noble task of searching for truth, justice and redress.