AFAD - Reclaiming Stolen Lives

Contents

FOREWORD

MUGIYANTO
CHAIRPERSON, AFAD

INTRODUCTION

MARY AILEEN DIEZ BACALSO
SECRETARY GENERAL, AFAD

COUNTRY SITUATION:

CHINA
INDIA (JAMMU AND KASHMIR)
INDONESIA
NEPAL
PAKISTAN
PHILIPPINES
SRI LANKA
THAILAND

MUNIR’S CASE

AFAD’S RESPONSE

FEDEFAM’S LETTER

STATISTICS ON ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCE IN ASIA:

CHINA
INDIA (JAMMU AND KASHMIR)
INDONESIA
NEPAL
PAKISTAN
PHILIPPINES
SRI LANKA
THAILAND

EPILOGUE

AFAD’S THEME SONG, DESAPARECIDOS

INDEX

BOOK WRITERS

Reclaiming Stolen Lives

FEDEFAM's Letter

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By Marta Ocampo de Vasquez

Buenos Aires, 25 de abril de 2008

Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances

Since the time we met one another in our struggle for the defense of human rights in your continent…

Since Loyola Guzman informed the Latin American Federation during your early stages, I heard her speak of colleagues from the Philippines who were also searching for their detained and disappeared family members, and gradually, I was becoming aware of the terrible reality that also existed in Asia, in many of your countries and also in Africa.

How sad is this reality!

When FEDEFAM was founded, we believed that this terrible crime of enforced disappearance existed solely in Latin America, above all, in dictatorial regimes. We terribly suffered, we believed that our struggle especially among those directly affected, would achieve peace in our countries. We understood that we had to combat impunity which, from America, will spread to the rest of the world and to attack the terrorism of the State which has committed more atrocious crimes and to transform the families into one voice raised denouncing this reality.

We understood that we had to unite with you and all people — sisters and brothers — in order to share our experiences and our achievements. Thus, from then on, we have been together with you in your struggle and we have seen with great satisfaction the emergence of AFAD, and how it has worked before those international organizations, denouncing all the violations that occur in Asia, following the journey which FEDEFAM has gone through. It has been ten years since AFAD was born and it has grown in this enormous task which we have to accomplish and always defend.

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Memory, Truth and Justice

We will never desist in our protest and never have we resorted to violence or revenge. This is the spirit that guides our federations.

We have been together before the United Nations in searching for international laws that defend our human rights and the full application of justice in each affected country, and the creation of legal mechanisms that prevent, sanction and impede the perpetration of this crime against humanity.

Because of the situation where, we, the families lack protection, because of the enforced disappearance of our loved ones , the conviction grew among us for the need to seek an appropriate international instrument.

After years of vicissitudes, steps and countersteps to achieve the Convention against Enforced Disappearances, the Intersessional Working Group to Elaborate a Draft Legally Binding Normative Instrument for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance started its work at the United Nations in Geneva, presided by Ambassador Bernard Kessedjian, with the assistance of representatives of the member-states before the Commission on Human Rights and observer countries. This time it was participated in by various NGOs with consultative status before the United Nations, such as FEDEFAM and AFAD.

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During these three years when the study sessions were conducted and discussions of important reports and contributions of all those who attended were held in order to improve the project of the international Convention, there were tense moments, but the representatives of the families demonstrated their unity and we all agreed with the decisions. I thought this influenced the final decision, which had been long awaited!

On Thursday, 22 September 2005, on the eve of the final session, the Ambassador of France, Bernard Kessedjian, announced solemnly the tacit approval of the Project: “International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance,” or sealing the completion of the task of this Working Group accompanied with a loud applause and great joy among all those present, especially the families.

This Convention will fill the gap that still exists in the international protection of human rights.

On 27 June 2006, the Human Rights Council of the United Nations in Geneva unanimously approved the Convention and on the 20th of December, it was finally approved by the General Assembly of the United Nations in New Yorkbefore the Economic and Social Council. (ECOSOC).

On 6 February 2007, in Paris, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Paris, the Convention was recognized by 57 countries. Now, let us work and hope for the ratification by 20 more countries in order that this Convention will become really effective. The task of all the families now is to achieve the ratification by these 20 states. Let us continue to work together in this struggle — always for Memory, Truth and Justice.