AFAD Calls on Timor Leste Government to Sign and Ratify the Convention NOW! “Now is the opportune time for the Government of Timor Leste to sign and ratify the International Convention for the Protection of Persons from Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances,” Mugiyanto, Chair of Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) said upon arriving in Dili today. Mugiyanto emphasized that Timor Leste is chosen as the venue of this year’s annual Council meeting of the federation hosted by its member organization, The HAK Association, to underscore the importance of the country under the new government of President Tau Matan Ruak in AFAD’s campaign to lobby governments in Asia to ratify the Convention. AFAD is looking forward to a possible meeting with the President as well as high officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, members of civil society and the families of victims of enforced disappearances. The federation had high hopes that the then government of President Ramos-Horta would at least begin the process of ratification. “We thought the issue of enforced disappearance was close to the heart of the former President who had two disappeared brothers,” Mugiyanto explained, “but we were dismayed because his government failed to act significantly on the quest for justice of the disappeared,” he lamented. Moreover, he stated that the recommendation of the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, during its country visit to Timor Leste at the beginning of of 2011 remains unheeded by Timor-Leste. AFAD Council members and partners from Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Philippines, Thailand, South Korea, begin its five-day council meeting on Monday, 18 November with a public event on the issue of disappearance with the theme: “Together, we share experiences of searching for those who have disappeared in times of conflict.” Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Francisco Guterres will deliver his opening remarks while the Director-General of the Department of External Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Mr. Joao Freitas de Camaraa will be a panel speaker on the topic, “ Political issues: opportunities and challenges in overcoming political issues.” Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Francisco Guterres will deliver his opening remarks. Ms. Ester Alvarenga, Board Member of the Association for the Search of Missing Children, is supposed to share about her organization’s best practice of sharing disappeared children, but on her way to the airport of San Salvador where she was to take a flight to Jakarta and Dili, via the US, she was informed of the raid of her office and the burning of documents and DNA samples related to disappeared children during the armed conflict of El Salvador. Her presentation will be presented by AFAD Secretary-General and Focal Person of the International Coalition Against Enforced Disappearances, Mary Aileen D. Bacalso. Director-General of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Mr. João Freitas de Camaraa will be a panel speaker on the topic “Political issues: opportunities and challenges in overcoming political issues.” Also speaking on this topic is Ms. Nilda Lagman-Sevilla, Co Chairperson of Families of Victims of Involuntary Disappearances (FIND) on the lobby campaign for a domestic law criminalizing enforced disappearance in the Philippines. Philippine President Benigno Aquino III signed it in December 2012 after 16 years of lobby work of families of victims and allies. Ms. Mary Aileen D. Bacalso will also speak on enforced disappearances in Asian countries where AFAD has members and the implerative of the ratification of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance and its full implementation. Mr. Adilur Khan, Odhikar Secretary and AFAD Council member from Bangladesh is expected to speak on his personal experience of being persecuted by his own government because of his human rights work and of other human rights defenders in his country. Meanwhile, Ombudsman for Human Rights and Justice, Sebastião Dias Ximenes will also be a panel speaker on the topic “Responding to the concerns of families: experiences and possibilities for unifying to secure the rights of families.” Mr. Jose Luis de Oliveira, on the other hand, will be the speaker representing civil society organizations. “The Council and public meetings are organized by HAK and AFAD in Dili are great opportunities for us to directly engage with key officials of government to get their perspective on this important concern and we hope to get their pledge to ratify and or sign the Convention,” Mugiyanto enthused. He also said the AFAD delegation is expecting to have a sharing with a number of families and members of civil society on their sustained plans to address the issue of enforced disappearances in the country. Their inputs can help the federation come up with long term plans and programs to address their needs for justice, compensation, restitution and guarantees of non-repetition. “We expect highly of the new President, Tau Matan Ruak, himself a key leader in the fight for freedom and democracy in the country, that he will pursue justice for victims of the disappeared and other human rights violations of the past by ratifying the Convention and enacting laws and policies criminalizing enforced disappearance,” Mugiyanto concluded. The public event is also an occasion to launch its recently published book on enforced disappearances in 9 Asian countries entitled, “Beyond Tears and Borders: Tracking Enforced Disappearances. Signed by: MUGIYANTO MARY AILEEN D. BACALSO Chairperson Secretary-General Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) Rooms 310-311, Philippine Social Science Center Bldg. Commonwealth Ave., Diliman, Quezon City, Human Rights Online Philippines
Posted on: Sun, 17 Nov 2013 15:27:24 +0000
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