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AUGUST 30 - INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE DISAPPEARED
arminfo
2007-08-30 10:43:00
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is marking the
International Day of the Disappeared on August 30.
ICRC's statement, received by ArmInfo, contains a call to the
international community to renew its commitment to addressing the
plight of missing persons and their families. In addition, the ICRC is
unveiling a report entitled Missing Persons - A Hidden Tragedy, which
calls attention to the tragic predicament - all too often ignored -
of people unaccounted for in connection with armed conflict and other
situations of violence, and of their families.
"Ever since wars have been fought, people have gone missing,"
said Pierre Krahenbuhl, the ICRC's director of operations, while
presenting the report at the organization's Geneva headquarters. All
missing persons have different, often tragic, stories, whether they
are captured, abducted or arrested civilians; prisoners who die in
custody or are held in secret locations; victims of mass executions
hastily buried in unmarked graves; men, women and children fleeing
conflict in mass displacements, separated from their loved ones for
years on end; soldiers killed whose remains are improperly disposed
of, or whose bodies are left unidentified on the battlefield.
"Not enough is being done," according to Krahenbuhl. "It is imperative
to deal with this tragedy and help the tens of thousands of families
of missing persons discover what happened to their loved ones. Not
knowing whether a loved one is dead or alive causes anxiety,
anger and a deep sense of injustice, and makes it impossible for
relatives to mourn and ultimately reach a sense of closure." The
ICRC report includes personal accounts and narratives conveying the
agony and great sense of loss that bereaved families endure over
many years. "Even if there's nothing but a skeleton, I don't care -
I just want my son back," said Guliko Ekizashvili, a Georgian woman
whose son is still missing 14 years after he disappeared during the
armed conflict between Georgia and the breakaway region of Abkhazia.
Krahenbuhl emphasized that "there are concrete measures that States
and others can take to prevent such a tragedy from occurring in the
first place.
Often, what is lacking is the political will to tackle the
problem." He also welcomed the adoption in December 2006 of the
International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from
Enforced Disappearance, a legally binding document that prohibits
enforced disappearance. "The ICRC urges States to sign, ratify and
implement this important treaty as soon as possible," he declared.
arminfo
2007-08-30 10:43:00
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is marking the
International Day of the Disappeared on August 30.
ICRC's statement, received by ArmInfo, contains a call to the
international community to renew its commitment to addressing the
plight of missing persons and their families. In addition, the ICRC is
unveiling a report entitled Missing Persons - A Hidden Tragedy, which
calls attention to the tragic predicament - all too often ignored -
of people unaccounted for in connection with armed conflict and other
situations of violence, and of their families.
"Ever since wars have been fought, people have gone missing,"
said Pierre Krahenbuhl, the ICRC's director of operations, while
presenting the report at the organization's Geneva headquarters. All
missing persons have different, often tragic, stories, whether they
are captured, abducted or arrested civilians; prisoners who die in
custody or are held in secret locations; victims of mass executions
hastily buried in unmarked graves; men, women and children fleeing
conflict in mass displacements, separated from their loved ones for
years on end; soldiers killed whose remains are improperly disposed
of, or whose bodies are left unidentified on the battlefield.
"Not enough is being done," according to Krahenbuhl. "It is imperative
to deal with this tragedy and help the tens of thousands of families
of missing persons discover what happened to their loved ones. Not
knowing whether a loved one is dead or alive causes anxiety,
anger and a deep sense of injustice, and makes it impossible for
relatives to mourn and ultimately reach a sense of closure." The
ICRC report includes personal accounts and narratives conveying the
agony and great sense of loss that bereaved families endure over
many years. "Even if there's nothing but a skeleton, I don't care -
I just want my son back," said Guliko Ekizashvili, a Georgian woman
whose son is still missing 14 years after he disappeared during the
armed conflict between Georgia and the breakaway region of Abkhazia.
Krahenbuhl emphasized that "there are concrete measures that States
and others can take to prevent such a tragedy from occurring in the
first place.
Often, what is lacking is the political will to tackle the
problem." He also welcomed the adoption in December 2006 of the
International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from
Enforced Disappearance, a legally binding document that prohibits
enforced disappearance. "The ICRC urges States to sign, ratify and
implement this important treaty as soon as possible," he declared.