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When the world misses its history lesson - Remember the Day of the Disappeared on 30 August 2008
On 12 April 2007, in the Philippines, armed men abducted activists Luisa Posa-Dominado and Nilo Arado. They were being driven home from a political campaigning event in Ilo Ilo when they were stopped by a group of unidentified armed men in military fatigues. The men ordered the driver, Jose Garachico, out of the vehicle and then shot and seriously wounded him. The vehicle was found burnt out and abandoned the next day with no trace of the abductees.
Thousands of miles away, in Pakistan, lives Amina Masood Janjua. The last time Amina saw her husband, Masood Ahmad Janjua, was on 30 July 2005 when he left home to meet his friend Faisal Faraz. According to eye witnesses both men were detained by Pakistani security forces while on a bus journey. Amina never saw or heard of Masood since she said goodbye to him when he left home, although people said they’ve seen him in a secret detention centre, being held by Pakistani authorities without charge or trial.
No one knows whether Luisa, Nilo or Masood are alive or dead. Whether someone killed them or if anyone is holding them captive and torturing them. Nobody knows. They have, quite simply, “disappeared”.
Luisa, Nilo and Masood are just a few examples of a terrifying criminal trend that is taking place across the world, today as much as 25 years ago.
The stories of thousands of people whose whereabouts are simply unknown have been documented by the United Nations, Amnesty International and many other organizations in more than 80 countries since the 1970s.
But there is something you can do to stop this hideous crime once and for all. Twenty-five years ago, the Day of the Disappeared was established by the United Nations for the world to remember those who have been, and are, victims of enforced disappearances. Today, the United Nations and many organizations like Amnesty International are promoting the ratification of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances.
This convention – although at first sight only a paper – would be a great first step to achieve justice for the thousands who are still looking for their missing relatives and for those who are held in secret and might be suffering grave abuse today.
If it was ratified and adopted by all governments, it would prevent crimes such as those against Luisa and Nilo and from going unpunished, it would help Amina find her husband and it would remind other governments that holding people in secret is illegal.
This convention would make those authorities think twice before committing this crime or helping others to do it.
If you want to join Amnesty International, be part of this global fight against disappearances and help people like Amina to find justice for their loved ones, just sign this petition: www.icaed.org. Let’s make governments learn from their mistakes and make disappearances a thing of the past.
Read more
Amnesty International's global campaign on the Day of the Disappeared
UK: Government must provide information about rendition, disappearance and torture
Argentina: Amnesty welcomes sentence but calls for resources to find López
