Today marks the international day where we remember all of those who have been victim of or affected by enforced or involuntary disappearances.
Since May 2020, I have joined or led on 78 communications with the Working Group on enforced or involuntary disappearances. These communications have dealt with the disappearances of human rights defenders, retaliation against human rights defenders searching for disappeared persons or defenders seeking truth and justice for families of the disappeared, and others in which human rights defenders are working in a general context where disappearances have been prevalent.
Below is a summary of those communications, including those states who have received most communications in this regard.
Africa: 12 communications to 8 countries
- Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo received the most communications in the region (3 each)
Asia: 28 communications to 11 countries
- Pakistan receiving the most in the region (6)
Americas: 11 communications to 6 countries
- Mexico received the most in the region (5)
Europe & Central Asia: 6 communications to 4 countries
- Türkiye and the Russian Federation received the most in the region (2 each)
Middle East & North Africa: 17 communications to 7 countries
- Egypt receiving the most in the region and globally (7)
For a full list and links to communications written jointly by my mandate and the Working Group, and the replies from the Government, see the table attached below.
You can find a full list of communications written by the Working Group on enforced disappearances on the UN Special Procedures’ database. Or the results of decisions taken with regard to disappearances at special sessions of the Working Group.
