Annual Report Table of Contents
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Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances AFAD 2015 Annual Report Table of Contents I. AFAD’s Mission, Vision, Goals ..................................................................................................... 1 II. AFAD’s Work in 2014 ................................................................................................................. 2 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 2 2. Programs and Services ............................................................................................................... 4 2.1 Campaign and Lobby ....................................................................................................... 5 2.1.1 Lobbying work at various levels ............................................................................. 5 2.1.2 Formation of National Coalitions Working on Enforced Disappearances .................................................................. 13 2.1. 3 Country Specific Campaigns................................................................................ 16 A. Country Specific Campaign on Laos ...................................................................... 16 B. Country Specific Campaign on the Philippines ..................................................... 20 C. Country Specific Campaign on Indonesia ............................................................. 28 2.1.4 Information Dissemination and Breaking Impunity .............................................. 34 2.2 Research and Documentation....................................................................................... 39 2.3 Psychosocial Rehabilitation ............................................................................................ 47 3. International Activities Conducted and the AFAD Congress .................................................. 48 4. Capacity Building .................................................................................................................. 52 lll. Annex — AFAD Members’ Directory ...................................................................................... 57 AFAD’s Mission, Vision & Goals Mission Goals A world free from enforced The Asian peoples understand, respect and disappearances and injustices... advocate for the right not to be subjected to enforced disappearance (by preserving the collective memory of the disappeared, learning lessons from the past, reminding the new generation of the dark part of their respective Vision history); An Asian federation of human rights Improved policy and structural reforms at the organizations committed to work directly on international, regional and national-levels to the redress for and eradication of enforced hasten the resolution of cases, prevent or totally disappearances... stop enforced disappearances; An Asia federation of human rights Enhanced capacity of AFAD members and the organizations advocating truth, justice, Secretariat to effectively convince governments to reparation and empowerment for the victims address the issue of enforced disappearances in and the reconstruction of the historical memory their respective countries (e.g. demand for redress / of the disappeared towards the eradication of reparation, restitution, rehabilitation and enforced disappearances from the face of the guarantees of non-repetition). earth. 1 | AFAD Annual Report 2015 AFAD’s Work in 2014 Introduction In the year 2014, AFAD entered its 16th year of trials individual members. The solidarity that has been forged and triumphs to attain its mission for a world without through the years resulted in AFAD’s contribution in desaparecidos. During this Congress, the Defence for the adoption of the International Convention for the Human Rights from Pakistan was accepted as a new Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. member of AFAD. Also earlier during the year, Shui Meng Ng, wife of disappeared development worker in AFAD also contributed to the signing and adoption of Laos, Sombath Somphone, was accepted by AFAD as Republic Act 10353 or the Philippine Anti-Enforced or an individual member. This acceptance of individual Involuntary Disappearance Act of 2012, the first and membership an exceptional case because no only anti-enforced or involuntary disappearance law in organization could exist in Laos because of repression. Asia and the promulgation of its Implementing Rules and Regulations in February 2013. In coordination During this year, AFAD summed up its history, its with local and international coalitions against enforced milestones as well as challenges in responding to the disappearances, it also successfully lobbied for the phenomenon of enforced disappearances in the Asian signing by Indonesia and Thailand of the Convention region, taking into consideration also its role in the and for the approval of regulations in favor of the international sphere as the focal point of the victims. By dint of its track record in the work against International Coalition Against Enforced enforced disappearance, AFAD has also been chosen as Disappearances. This summing up was based on the focal point of the 55-member International personal interviews with leaders of the Federation and Coalition Against Enforced Disappearances (ICAED). from the staff and individual members of its member- organizations in different Asian countries. Important AFAD has gained the support and recognition of the considerations in the findings of the said summing-up United Nations. It is closely working with the UN were based on reports and documents of the Federation Working Group on Enforced Disappearances and to a during its last 16 years of existence. certain extent, with the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances. Modesty aside, many of the AFAD It is important to note that 2014 was the year of the member-organizations and leaders received holding of AFAD’s 5th Congress, entitled: international human rights recognition at the level of ‚Consolidating AFAD’s more than 16 years of Struggle the member-organizations and the AFAD Council Towards a Stronger Response to Enforced members. In 2014, Mr. Adilur Khan of Odhikar in Disappearances in Asia.‛ During which, the summing Bangladesh, who was severely persecuted in his country, up results were presented before the Congress, received in 2015, 5 international and national highlighting the beginnings of AFAD that started in the recognitions for his exemplary work for human rights in Philippines with 3 organizations from the Philippines, Bangladesh. Sri Lanka and Kashmir, India. Convinced of the central role of the families of the Like seeds that have sprouted and grown, AFAD has disappeared in the struggle for truth and justice, AFAD grown into a federation of 12 organizations from also conducted series of empowerment programs for the Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, South families of the victims, e.g. Healing Wounds, Mending Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste and three Scars; from Victims to Healers; Circle of Healing in 2 | AFAD Annual Report 2015 AFAD’s Work in 2014 countries where it is located. These were culminated the government to release both victims. with the holding of the Third World Conference on Psychosocial Support in the Search for Truth and Without let up, persecution continued in Sri Lanka. Justice, which was held in Manila on 17-20 July 2014. One of the examples was the blocking of hundreds of It was followed by the conference, entitled: ‚Asian families of the disappeared by elements of the security Forensics for Human Rights,‛ which was held from 21- forces during the International Day of the Disappeared 25 July of the same year. on 30 August. Moreover, towards the end of the year, the house of Brito Fernando was stoned, its window Also noteworthy is the international conference that was broken. It was followed by a hanging of a dog’s head at conducted from 17-21 September 2014. The Inter- the gate of his house. Also important to note is that on Regional Conference on Best Practices in Advocating the 17th of August, the AFAD Secretary-General, Mary Legislation Against Enforced Disappearances was Aileen D. Bacalso was deported by the Indian successfully conducted, resulting in culling concrete and Government, obviously because of her work against important learning experience that went beyond enforced disappearances in Kashmir. advocating legislation against enforced disappearances. The sharing of the inroads in finding disappeared The deportation was opposed by AFAD member- children in Argentina, Guatemala and El Salvador were organizations, ICAED members and was reported to concrete examples and lessons especially for AFAD the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary member-organizations in Indonesia and Timor-Leste Disappearances (UN WGEID), which, together with who have a common phenomenon of disappeared other related UN bodies, wrote a letter to the Indian children from Timor-Leste taken to Indonesia by Government asking for an explanation on the violation Indonesian soldiers during the Indonesian occupation. of the right to travel. While at the beginning* of the Participated in by some 35 human rights defenders and year, the AFAD Secretariat had to undergo experts from the field, it was one if not the best reconstitution, necessary adjustment was done, resulting activities AFAD ever had in terms of sharing of in the continued carrying out of its task as a center for experiences from Asia, Latin America,