The Missing: Action to resolve the problem of people unaccounted for as a result of armed conflict or internal violence and to assist their families Mechanisms to solve issues on people unaccounted for Workshop 19.09.2002 - 20.09.2002 Ecogia ICRC Training Center - Geneva - Switzerland Final report and outcome Mission statement The aim is to heighten awareness among governments, the military, international and national organizations – including the worldwide Red Cross and Red Crescent network – and the general public about the tragedy of people unaccounted for as a result of armed conflict or internal violence and about the anguish of their families by creating and making available tools for action and communication in order to ensure accountability on the part of the authorities responsible for resolving the problem of missing people, to better assist the families and to prevent further disappearances. ICRC/TheMissing/12.2002/EN/6 (Original: English) Mechanisms to solve issues on people unaccounted for Page 2/139 ©ICRC/TheMissing/12.2002/EN/6 Mechanisms to solve issues on people unaccounted for Table of content Table of content .......................................................................................................................................... 3 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 7 1.1 Introduction to the process "The Missing" ................................................................................. 7 1.2 Mechanisms to solve issues on people unaccounted for ......................................................... 8 2. Outcome: recommendations and best practices...................................................................... 10 2.1 How context influences mechanisms ........................................................................................ 10 2.2 Focus and objectives of mechanisms for clarifying the fate of missing persons ................ 11 2.3 Obtaining information on missing persons............................................................................... 12 2.4 Format and structure of mechanisms for clarifying the fate of missing persons................. 13 2.5 The role of families within mechanisms for clarifying the fate of missing persons ............. 15 3. Experts' contributions ................................................................................................................. 16 3.1 By Mr Federico Andreu-Guzmán, Legal Adviser, International Commission of Jurists (ICJ)16 3.2 By Mr. Kamran Arif, Vice-Chairman, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (Pakistan) ... 23 3.3 By Dr Fernando Iregui Camelo, Technical Secretary, Comisión de Búsqueda de Personas Desaparecidas, Defensoria del Pueblo (Colombia) .................................................................. 27 3.4 By Mr Javier Ciurlizza, Executive Secretary, Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Peru (Peru) ............................................................................................................................................. 33 3.5 By Mr Bernhard Clasen, Co-Chairman, Working Group for the release of prisoners and hostages and the tracing of Missing People of the Karabakh conflict (Germany) ............... 40 3.6 By Mr Charles Dominique Dube, Chairman, Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (Zimbabwe) ................................................................................................................................... 44 3.7 By Mr Max Grunberg, Chairman of the Raoul Wallenberg Honorary Cititzen Committee (Israel)............................................................................................................................................ 46 3.8 By Mr Yasantha Kodagoda, Senior State Counsel (Sri Lanka)................................................ 47 3.9 By Mr Richard Lyster, Former Commissioner of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Human Rights Lawyer, Durban (South Africa) .................................................. 49 3.10 By Mr Fernando Mora, Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights, Council of Europe 54 3.11 By Mr Gradimir Nalic, Advisor for human rights issues, Cabinet of the President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Yugoslavia) ........................................................................... 61 3.12 By the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations ........................ 65 3.13 By Prof Dr Christian Tomuschat, Juristische Fakultät, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (Germany) ..................................................................................................................................... 72 3.14 By Mr Stephen R. Upton, Deputy Chief of Investigations, Office of the Prosecutor (OTP), International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY)........................................... 74 3.15 By Ms Bozana Vaskovic, National Legal Advisor, Organisation for Security and co- operation in Europe (OSCE) - Mission to Bosnia Herzegovina, Human Rights Department79 4. Relevant outcome from studies..................................................................................................82 4.1 Overcoming the tensions between family needs and judicial procedures - Extract: Executive summary and recommendations.............................................................................. 82 4.2 The Missing: The ICRC as a mechanism to solve issues on people unaccounted for......... 87 © ICRC/TheMissing/12.2002/EN/6 Page 3/139 Mechanisms to solve issues on people unaccounted for EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS..............................................................................87 I. INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................................88 II. HUMANITARIAN ISSUES AND DILEMMAS...........................................................................................88 III. INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW AND CONFLICT-RELATED DISAPPEARANCES...............90 IV. TRADITIONAL ICRC ACTIVITIES AIMED AT PREVENTING AND SOLVING MISSING ISSUES .......91 V. SYSTEMATIZE AND DEVELOP ICRC ACTIVITIES IN VIEW OF PREVENTING AND SOLVING MISSING ISSUES.......................................................................................................................................93 VI. MULTILATERAL OR TRIPARTITE MECHANISMS...............................................................................98 VII. THE NEED FOR UNIFORM OPERATIONAL GUIDELINES ..............................................................100 4.3 The Missing: Truth Commissions as mechanisms to solve issues on people unaccounted for................................................................................................................................................. 101 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS............................................................................101 I. INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................................................102 II. GENERAL INFORMATION ON TRUTH COMMISSIONS.....................................................................103 III. TRUTH COMMISSIONS AND CONFLICT-RELATED DISAPPEARANCES .......................................104 IV. SOME TRUTH COMMISSIONS WHICH HAD TO CONFRONT THE PROBLEM OF MISSING PERSONS.................................................................................................................................................105 V. HELPFUL MEASURES.........................................................................................................................108 4.4 The Missing: National Human Rights Commissions as mechanisms to solve issues on people unaccounted for............................................................................................................. 115 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS............................................................................115 I. INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................................................116 II. GENERAL INFORMATION ON NHR COMMISSIONS .........................................................................116 III. NHR COMMISSIONS AND CONFLICT-RELATED DISAPPEARANCES............................................117 IV. NHR COMMISSIONS WHICH HAD TO CONFRONT THE PROBLEM OF MISSING PERSONS ......118 V. HELPFUL MEASURES.........................................................................................................................120 5. Relevant outcome from other workshops ............................................................................... 124 5.1 The legal protection of personal data & human remains - Electronic Workshop - 02.04.2002 - 06.05.2002 ................................................................................................................................. 124 5.1.1 The legal protection of personal data & human remains - Protection of personal data: commonly accepted principles................................................................................................. 124 5.1.2 The legal protection of personal data & human remains - Identification of human remains: commonly accepted principles................................................................................................. 124 5.1.3 The legal protection of personal