26-27 February, 2008, Pretoria, South Africa, LHR Conference Proceeding Report on the Conference on the United Nations Convention for the Protection of all Persons from Enforced disappearances.

Amnesty International fact sheet, A crucial opportunity to end enforced disappearance (pdf)

Fiacat fact sheet, The International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance in 5 Questions, in English and in French

Primer on the Convention prepared by the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances. Click here for a link

: Campaigning in the Netherlands

OTHER CAMPAIGN ACTIVITIES

Turkey - On the occasion of the Week of Disappeared People in 2009, the Human Rights Association (İHD), the International Committee Against Disappearances (ICAD) and the Solidarity Association for Bereaved Families (Yakay-Der) started a campaign to urge Turkey to ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances. Read the news article

Colombia - Thousands of people gathered on May 30 2009 in the Colombian cities of Bogota and Medellin to call on President Uribe for the ratification of the Convention. Among them numerous families of the disappeared. Link to article on external website (in Spanish)

Algeria - On April 10, 2009, Nassera Dutour (mother of a disappeared person and spokesperson of CFDA and SOS-Disparu) sent a letter to the president of Algeria reminding him of his repsonsibilities. it mentions the plight of the mothers of the disappeared as well as the appeal to ratify the Convention. Read the newspaper article (in .jpg)

Indonesia - During a recent visit of the Madres de Plaze de Mayo from Argentina to Indonesia they called on the Indonesian government to ratify the Convention. An extensive article in the Jarkarta Post describes their visit and the position of Indonesia regaring the Convention.

Cyprus - On March 17, 2009, the ICAED member from Cyprus 'Truh Now' sent a letter to the Minister of Justice to appeal for the ratification of the Convention. Read the letter (in pdf)

Morocco- From March 15-18 several ICAED members and other concerend organisations in Morocco organised succesful campaign actitivities in Rabat. Government officials reiterated during meetings that Morocco will ratify before the end of 2009. Current changes in the Penal Code would also include the incrimination of the crime of enforced disappearances.

Read the press release

Geneva - On March 4, Mr Mugiyanto, the chairperson of the ICAED member Asian Federation against Disappearances (AFAD), gave a statement on the Convention in his personal capacity during the 10th Human Rights Council session. Read the statement

France - On February 6 2007 57 States signed the Convention during a signing ceremony in Paris. Two years later 8 States have ratified the Convention and 81 have signed the document. Amnesty International France stated there is no solution to enforced disappearances without the ratification of the Convention. Link to article on website Amnesty International France (In french)

Geneva - On March 11 2009 from 1-3 pm ICAED members AFAD and FEDEFAM organise a side event on the Convention during the Human Rights Council session in Geneva.

France - On February 5 2009 Colegio d’España, la Maison d’ Argentine et la Maison d’ Italie of the Cité Universitaire in Paris organise a study day on the Convention in Paris. Link to the invitation

Guatemala - On January 14 2009 family members of disappeared marched through the streets of Guatemala city to demand the ratification of the Convention.

Balcans/Serbia - In Belgrade, during the 11th annual conference of families of missing persons from the Balcan region from the November 28-30, 2008, associations of families of disappeared called on all the governments in the region to ratify the Convention. Link to the article

USA - Human Rights Watch calls on the next US president to sign and press the US Senate to ratify the Convention against Enforced Disappearance to signal an intention to never again engage in such practices. Link to news item

Netherlands/Belarus - On September 17 the Free Belarus Theatre performed a show in Rotterdam to start the international campaign of culture figures in support of the convention on enforced disappearances. Link to brief report of the show.

Peru - on August 20, Qatary Panituri organises a seminar to promote the UN Convention against enforced disappearances in Lima, Peru. Dr. Patrick Rice will be speaking on behalf of the Coalition. For more information, see the seminar poster and the Qatary Panituri blogsite (both in Spanish).

Pakistan - On July 3, after his three day visit to Pakistan the Human Rights Watch director Ken Roth called on the government to sign the convention on enforced disappearances. Read the news article

Morocco - At the Euro-mediterranean meeting of families of the disappeared in Rabat from 12 to 14 June 2008, an appeal was adopted by unanimity. The Rabat Appeal urges states to adopt the Convention against Enforced Disappearances. Read the Appeal in English, in French and in Arabic.

Amnesty International published a report on the actions that European countries should take to prevent secret detention and rendition. One of the recommendations is the ratification of the convention. Read the full report on the website of amnesty

Philippines - A Speech delivered by Atty. Leila M. de Lima, Chairperson,
Commission on Human Rights, at the Forum on Enforced Disappearances and the convention organized by the AFAD and Ateneo Human Rights Center, held on 30 May, 2008 Manila, Philippines

Morocco - From 12 to 14 June 2008 a conference was organized by the Euromediterranean Federation of Families of Disapperad (FEMED) in Rabat, Morocco to discuss the Convention and disapperances in the region.

Read a press release in French about the conference.

Guatemala - Liga Guatemalteca de Higiene Mental, member of ICAED, on May 19th offered 3,733 signatures to the President of the Congress of Guatemala, Dr. Eduardo Meyer, demanding swift ratification of the Convention by the Government of Guatemala.

See a photo of the ceremony (includes text in Spanish)

Click here for a press article on this in Spanish only (you will be transferred to an external website).

Guatemala - On April 22-23 a regional seminar to promote and discuss the convention is organized in Guatemala by 'la Liga de Hygiene Mental' and Aim for human rights. Distinguished lawyers and other human rights defenders from Guatemala and abroad explain the convention in detail. Read a report on the website of the Liga Guatemalteca de Hygiene Mental (in Spanish)

Amnesty Statement - March 26, Mexico: A positive, but insufficient step. Mexico ratifies the Convention against Enforced Disappearances.
Amnesty reaction in Spanish

Amnesty reaction in English

Nepal - COCAP is going to launch a campaign “COCAP Campaign for the Disappeared – Trans-Nepal Cycle Ride 2008” from 15th of Janurary, 2008. A team of 15 COCAP volunteers will travel from the Mechi to the Mahakali actively engaging with the families affected by disappearances and promote the covention. For details about COCAP please refer to www.cocap.org.np

South Africa - On February 26-27 2008 a conference on the Convention is organized in South Africa. The conference discusses the background and content of the convention within the regional context. The second day is dedicated to the regional challenges and the national dillemmas in South Africa. The conference is organized by Lawyers for Human Rights and is visited by families of disappeared, lawyers, government officials and human rights activists.

ACTIVITIES OF ICAED

5366 SIGNATURES PRESENTED TO PRIME MINSTER NEPAL

The ICAED actions on Nepal resulted in 5366 signatures being presented by Amnesty International Nepal to the Prime Minister on July 1st. Prime Minister Nepal expressed commitment to take necessary action to end the existing culture of impunity. Read the article on Kantipur online

NEPAL: ON JULY 1 THOUSANDS OF APPEAL LETTERS ARE PRESENTED TO THE PRIME MINSTER

The ICAED actions on Nepal have resulted in thousands of appeal letters from within Nepal and abroad calling on Nepal to ratify the Convention. On July 1 2009 these letters are presented to the Prime Minister of Nepal. The ICAED asks that the government send an unmistakable signal that enforced disappearances will never be tolerated again in Nepal.

Read the press release (pdf)

Read the ICAED letter

ICAED APPEALS TO COUNTRIES TO RECOGNISE COMPETENCE

On March 29th ICAED sent letters to several countries that ratified the Convention but so far did not recognise the competence of the Committee to receive individual complaints and interstate complaints. Letters were sent to the Minsters of Foreign Affairs of Senegal, Cuba, Honduras, Kazakhstan and Mexico. The letters can be found on this page.

ANNOUNCING SIDE EVENT ON CONVENTION ON MARCH 11 2009

On March 11 the ICAED members AFAD and FEDEFAM organise a side event to the 10th session of the Human Rights Council, on the urgency of ratification of the Convention, in cooperation with Non-Violence International, Forum Asia and the ICAED. Click here to see the invitation

ICAED CALLS ON COUNCIL OF EUROPE MEMBERS TO RATIFY CONVENTION

During the meeting of the meeting of the Subcommittee on Human Rights of the Council of Europe in Cyprus on November 24 the ICAED recalled the history of disappearances in Europe and called in States to ratify the Convention and take protective measures at the national level.

ICAED CALLS UPON A QUICK RATIFICATION OF THE CONVENTION BY THE INDONESIAN GOVERNMENT

At November 12 the ICAED has sent a letter to the President of Indonesia to ask attention for the convention on disappearances. With this letter the ICAED wants to stress that the prompt signing, ratification and implementation of this Convention should become a priority matter for the Indonesian government. Read the letter.

ICAED SIDE EVENT TO THE HUMAN DIMENSION IMPLEMANTATION OF OSCE IN WARSAW

On October 2 the ICAED will host a roundtable of experts who speak about the current and ongoing challenges in efforts to promote awareness and effective remedies about enforced disappearances and the convention. Link to information about the side event.

ARCHBISHOP DESMOND TUTU SIGNS THE APPEAL LETTER

Archbishop Desmond Tutu signed the appeal letter of the ICAED that will be send to all Heads of State in August 30 to call for ratification.

LETTER FROM PEREZ ESQUIVEL TO FAMILIES OF DISAPPEARED

Nobel Peace Prize winner Adolfo Perez Esquivel drafted a letter in support of the struggle of the families of the disappeared. He reiterates that the Convention is fundamental to eradicate the phenomenon. Read letter (in Spanish)

ICAED LAUNCHES A BLOG

ICAED launches a blog for campaining and dicussing the UN Convention against enforced disappearances. The idea of the blog is to raise awareness about the UN Convention, to discuss it and to campaign for it. All member organisations and other interested individuals are invited to take part! See the ICAED blog (in English).

ICAED CALLS ON PRESIDENT PHILIPPINES TO PRIORITIZE CONVENTION

On July 21 the ICAED sent a letter to President Gloria Arroyo of the Philippines calling on her to prioritize the convention and the process of ratification. The ICAED also underlined the importance of the anti-disappearance bill in the Philippines that is pending before the Congress.

Read the letter

Read the press release

ICAED RECEIVES GRANT FROM FRENCH GOVERNMENT

June 2008 - The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs has granted 40.000 euros to the the ICAED for the international campaign for the convention.

SIDE EVENT OF ICAED AND GROUP DES AMIS DURING HRC SESSION

The ICAED, in consultation with the States in the Group des Amis, organized a round table on March 11 in Geneva to assess the state of ratification and identify challenges for the implementation of the International Convention for the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearances. With a tribute to Bernard Kessedjian, Ambassador.

The programme of the event in English, Spanish and French

The report of the event in English

ICAED PUBLISHES MANIFEST

On February 6 2008 ICAED publishes its Manifest urging States to demonstrate their commitment to the eradication of enforced disappearances by signing and ratifying the Convention.

Read Manifest in English

Read Manifest in Spanish

Read Manifest in French

ICAED CALLS ON EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT TO PROMOTE THE CONVENTION

ICAED on January 24 2008 called on the European Parliament (EP) to actively promote the Convention. ICAED proposed a motion for a resolution of the EP, stressing the importance of swift ratification and full implementation by the EU member States.

Read statement in English

Read statement in French

Read statement in Spanish

LETTER TO ALL MINISTERS OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

All Ministers of Foreign Affairs reveived a letter of ICAED at the end of October 2007. The letter thanked those governments that already signed and urged all governments to move forward with the proceedings leading to ratification.

English letter

French letter

Spanish letter

LAUNCH EVENT OF CAMPAIGN FOR THE CONVENTION

On September 26 2007 the International campaign of the ICAED was launched in Geneva during the Human Rights Council Session. The Human Rights Council president was one of the speakers together with ambassadors from all continents.

Download a report of the event here.

You can also download the full text of the Declaration of ICAED for this occasion in English, French or Spanish.

07/14/16

COMISIÓN NACIONAL DE LOS DERECHOS HUMANOS (CNDH-RD) REALIZA VISITA A LA CÁRCEL DE LA VICTORIA

02/16/17

PRESS RELEASE: Egypt/ Unjustified closure of EL Nadeem Center by the Egyptian authorities

Paris, 10 February 2017: After three attempts to shut down El Nadeem Center for Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence by the Egyptian authorities since February 2016, The Center was officially closed on 9 February 2017. Members of the security forces arrived early in the morning and sealed the door, taking advantage of the absence of staff who had stood up against previous attempted closures. The caretaker of the building who tried to prevent the security forces from entering the building was arrested by them, interrogated and released later. Aida Seif El-Dawla, co-founder of El Nadeem Center and who has been placed on the travel ban list since last year, was threatened to be taken with the caretaker when she tried to interfere with his arrest.

Following an administrative order issued on 17 February 2016, members of EL Nadeem Center were accused of violating the registration conditions granted to them and were harassed by the authorities. The Center, who had taken up legal action to challenge the closure decision received on 17 February, was unable to obtain any further precision or clarification concerning the decision. The lawyers of the Center addressed the Ministry of Health where they were informed that no violation had occurred.

Accredited since 1993, more than 20 years ago, El Nadeem Center provides support to victims of torture and violence and is one of the main credible sources of reports on torture, the census of cases, the conditions of detention and all human rights violations in Egypt. El Nadeem Center runs as well a program to combat violence against women.

The FEMED deplores the reign of impunity in Egypt and the increased use of repression against human rights activists, especially those working on torture and enforced disappearances. It expresses solidarity with the El Nadeem Center by firmly condemning its abusive closure.

The FEMED also calls on the Egyptian authorities to suspend the closure order of El Nadeem Center, to explain the reasons behind their decision and to respect the right to contest this decision before a court. Moreover, it calls for national and international solidarity to deal with repression aiming to discourage the victims, their families, the civil society as a whole and all those who support their quest for truth and justice.

Press Contact:
Nassera Dutour, President of the FEMED
+ 33 6 13 07 29 13 / + 33 1 42 05 06 22

AUGUST 30 2009, INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE DISAPPEARED

: August 30, 2008 Manifestation in Baghdad

On August 30 2009, which markes the 26th anniversary of the International Day of the Disappeared, the ICAED members appeal to their parliaments across the globe to sign, ratify and implement the Convention against Enforced Disappearances. An appeal letter is sent to all parliaments on August 30.

Alongside this, activities are carried out in several countries to commemorate the disappeared. Family member organizations and human rights organizations in countries such as Sri Lanka, Guatemala, Peru, Switzerland, the Philippines and the Netherlands demand attention for enforced dissapearances.

Visit the special August 30, campaign page

COUNTRY BY COUNTRY RATIFICATION CAMPAIGN

In 2009 the ICAED started a new action: the "Country by Country Ratification Campaign". Each month a specific country is targeted with campaign activities to appeal for ratification of the Convention. These activities include:

Activities organised by the ICAED members and other organisations inside the country of the month. For instance a visit to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or Minstry of Justice, a manifestation, press conference, articles in newspapers and letter writing.
Activities of organisations outside the country of the month. All the members of the ICAED will organise campaing activities that target the country of the month. For instance a joint letter of all ICAED members, individual letters of members, press release of ICAED and visits to embassies of the country of the month.
A letter that you can send to the government calling for ratification of the Convention.

Current country: GUATEMALA

Special campaign page on Peru, the UK, Nepal or Morocco

AUGUST 30 2008:GLOBAL ACTION AGAINST ENFORCED DISAPPERANCES

: Demonstrators in El Salvador marching to the president's office.

AUGUST 30 2008: GLOBAL ACTION AGAINST ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES

August 30 2008 marks the 25th anniversary of the International Day of the Disappeared. On this day the ICAED appealed to heads of government around the globe and organise activities on every continent. Read more on our special campaign page.

DISAPPEARANCES NO, CONVENTION NOW!

JOIN OUR CAMPAIGN

THE CAMPAIGN

The international campaign for the UN Convention to protect all persons from enforced disappearances is the primary activity of ICAED.

We welcome all organisations of family members of disappeared and independent NGO's concerned with human rights and the struggle against disappearances to join ICAED and the campaign. Through cooperation we will make the Convention a reality and work together towards eradication of enforced disappearances.

The international campaign will first look for early ratification by at least 20 States which will lead to the entry into force of the Convention and the Committee.

SHORT TERM OBJECTIVES OF THE CAMPAIGN ARE:

Signing of the Convention by as many States without delay;
Ratification of the Convention by 20 States at the earliest possible date to ensure entry into force of the Convention;
Declarations by States recognising the competence of the Committee on Enforced Disappearances;
No reservations that are contrary to the object and purpose of the Convention
High-quality members of the Committee on Enforced Disappearance.

: Campaigning poster in Guatemala city. 'We demand from the Guatemalan government that it ratifies the convention'. 60.000 cars pass every day.

WHAT YOUR ORGANISATION CAN DO

INVOLVEMENT IS POSSIBLE IN MANY WAYS:

Subscribe to the charter and become a member of the Coalition. Read more in English or in Spanish...
Link your website to the Coalition’s website
Learn from the other coalition members how they campaign
Share information and experiences with the other coalition members
Cooperate in joint activities at the national, regional and international level
Urge your national and regional governments to ratify and implement the Convention
Inform your membership about the Coalition and encourage others to take action
Contact the Coalition to do translations of key information materials into the languages in your region
Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper in support of the Coalition

USE THE CONVENTION IN CASE OF DISAPPEARANCES

The full strength and effect of the Convention will become clear after widespread ratification, the entry into force and the functioning of the Committee on Enforced Disappearances.

But even before the entry into force the Convention can already be used in cases of enforced disappearances, in particular towards States that have already signed and ratified the Convention. Even though the Convention has no legally binding status yet and there is no monitoring body, many States have agreed to abide by the provisions by joining the consensus at the Human Rights Council, co-sponsoring at the General Assembly (103 States) or even stronger, signing and ratifying the Convention. Read more