Relatives of the lost united their efforts

Relatives of the lost people from different countries united their efforts in gaining the truth about their dears.

Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances, Euro-Mediterranean Association Against Involuntary Disappearances, Latin American Federation of Associations of Relatives of the lost and Belarusian Association "We remember" called upon the states with the demand to put an end to involuntary disappearances and to ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. The appeal is dedicated to the International Day of Victims of involuntary disappearances, which is celebrated on August, 30.

"People abductions are alike, independently of the situation in a country, were they take place… Involuntary disappearances are crimes against humanity according to international law, if they are applied systematically. Crimes context may differ depending on a country, but families of victims suffer similar sorrows. They incessantly seek the truth about the fates and whereabouts of their lost relatives and demand justice", -- it is said in the joint statement.

Organizations uniting relatives of the lost, call upon all countries to apply necessary efforts for investigation of all involuntary disappearances, avoiding and eradication of this practice and to support implementation of necessary legal mechanisms, needed for it.

At this moment the Convention has been signed by 87 stated, and 19 have already ratified it. After one more ratification the Convention will come in force.

The Republic of Belarus has not signed the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.

In the meanwhile the problem of involuntary disappearance is topical for Belarus. In the year of 1999 two famous oppositionists disappeared in the country without leaving a track— former Minister of Internal Affairs Yury Zaharanka and vice speaker of the Supreme Council of XIII convocation Viktar Hanchar, and also a big businessman Anatol Krasousky. In summer of 2000 year Dmitry Zavadsky an operator of Russian TV channel ORT disappeared without leaving a track. High officials of Belarus are suspected to be involved into abductions.

Source: Charter'97 :: News from Belarus