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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 1, 2015

A Joint Statement by

Asian Federation Against InvoluntaryDisappearances

Asian Legal Resource Centre

The Observatory for the Protection of Human RightsDefenders [a joint programme of the International Federation for Human Rights(FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)]

1 September 2015 – On the occasion of the International Day of the Disappeared on August30, families of victims of enforced disappearance, AFAD, ALRC, FIDH and Odhikarhad jointly organised a commemorative event in Dhaka, Bangladesh to rememberthose who have been forcibly detained and whose fate and whereabouts remainunknown. However, less than 24 hours before the event was scheduled to takeplace, it was suddenly cancelled by the National Press Club where the event wasslated to be held. In addition, families of the disappeared who were scheduledto speak during the event received threatening phone calls, and police weredeployed to the National Press Club without an explanation. Our organisations have reason to believe thatthe Bangladesh government is behind this sudden cancellation of the event andthe intimidation of victims' families, as part of a wider effort to silence anyvoices speaking out against Enforced Disappearances in Bangladesh and tomaintain impunity for these crimes which many claim have been committed byState authorities.

On 29 August 2015 at 5:20 PM, the National Press Clubinformed one of the organisers of the Odhikar/AFAD/ALRC/FIDH event that thePresident of the Club had ordered the event to be cancelled, claiming thatthere was “another programme” scheduled at the same time. However, witnessesconfirmed that no programme was held at the venue on Sunday, and that severalpolice officers were deployed to the Press Club on Sunday morning and remainedon the premises throughout the day with no explanation for their presence.

In addition, family members of the disappeared whowere scheduled to speak at the event received threatening telephone callsdissuading them from participating.

In areas outside Dhaka, other commemorations were alsomet with threats and police deployment. However, with the support of localcivil society activists, the families of the disappeared went ahead with theevents, and commemorations were successfully held in Khulna, Rajshahi, andRajbari district among others.

The events scheduled on August 30 aimed to highlightthe worsening human rights situation in Bangladesh, particularly for thefamilies of the disappeared who are systematically denied truth, justice andrecovery. Between January to June 2015 alone, Odhikar has recorded 38 cases ofenforced disappearances in Bangladesh. The victims were reportedly picked up bymen claiming to be from law enforcement agencies.

As partners of Odhikar and the families of thedisappeared, AFAD, ALRC, FIDH, and OMCT strongly condemn this State repressionof human rights defenders and those speaking out against human rightsviolations. Articles 19 and 20 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rightsestablish the rights of all people to freedom of opinion and expression, andfreedom of peaceful assembly, respectively. The right to assembly is likewiseprovided for by the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights(Article 21), which Bangladesh has ratified. This right has also beenreaffirmed in the UN Human Rights Council in its resolution 15/21 (October 2010), resolution 21/16 (October 2012) and resolution 24/5 (October 2013).

Our organisations call on the government of Bangladeshto honour its commitments as a State party to the ICCPR and member of the UN,to immediately stop harassing and curtailing the rights of organizations andindividuals to assemble and speak out in the pursuit of truth and justice forthe victims of enforced disappearances.

Moreover,we call on the government to adhere to the principles of the 1992 Declarationon the Protection of All Persons Against Involuntary Disappearances, whichstates that: “No State shall practise,permit or tolerate enforced disappearances” [Article 2.1], and that “Each State shall take effective legislative,administrative, judicial or other measures to prevent and terminate acts ofenforced disappearance in any territory under its jurisdiction” [Article3]. The victims of enforced disappearances and their families deserve truth andjustice, and we will continue to support their struggle until they are affordedthese rights.

The Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) is a federation of human rights organizations working directly on theissue of involuntary disappearances in Asia. Envisioning a world without desaparecidos, the Federation was founded on June 4, 1998 in Manila,Philippines.

The AsianLegal Resource Centre (ALRC) works towardsthe radical rethinking & fundamental redesigning of justice institutions inAsia, to ensure relief and redress for victims of human rights violations,as per Common Article 2 of the International Conventions. Sister organisationto the Asian Human Rights Commission, the ALRC is based in Hong Kong &holds general consultative status with the Economic & Social Council of theUnited Nations.

TheObservatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (OBS) was created in 1997 by FIDH and theWorld Organisation Against Torture (OMCT). The objective of this programme isto intervene to prevent or remedy situations of repression against human rightsdefenders.