The United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances says the families of the disappeared in Sri Lanka have waited too long to know the truth about the fate or whereabouts of their loved ones.
The Working Group has said this in its annual report to the UN Human Rights Council’s 39th session which begins next week.
The Working Group noted the establishment of the Office of Missing Persons and urged the Government to ensure its functioning and implementation and take into account the recommendations made after the visit carried out in November 2015.
The Working Group reminded the State that the families of the disappeared in Sri Lanka have waited too long to know the truth about the fate or whereabouts of their loved ones.
This is an absolute right under the Declaration and an obligation that the State should meet in accordance with international law.
It also reminds the State that the victims of enforced disappearance and their families should obtain redress and have the right to adequate compensation, including the means for as complete a rehabilitation as possible.
Meanwhile, the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances will hold its 116th session in Geneva from 10 to 14 September 2018 to examine 840 cases from 46 countries.
The Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances is comprised of five independent experts from all regions of the world. The Chair-Rapporteur is Bernard Duhaime (Canada) and the Vice-Chair is Tae-Ung Baik (Republic of Korea); other members are Ms. Houria Es-Slami (Morocco); Luciano Hazan (Argentina) and Henrikas Mickevicius (Lithuania).
Courtesy: Colombo Gazette
