A/HRC/16/48
Urgent appeal
Yes
Government response
No
General allegation
N/A
Government response
N/A
Prompt intervention letter
N/A
Government response
N/A
Working Group request for a visit
N/A
Government response
N/A
556. All outstanding cases were retransmitted and regrettably no response was received
from the Government. A summary of the situation in the country appears in document
E/CN.4/2006/56 and Corr.1.
Urgent Appeals
557. On 14 May 2010, the Working Group sent an urgent appeal, jointly with three other
special procedures mechanisms, concerning Mr. Mohanad Salahat, allegedly arrested by
Palestinian Intelligence agents after he presented himself at the Intelligence Department in
Nablus on 1 May 2010. No response was received from the Palestinian Authority.
IV.
Conclusions and recommendations
558. In 2010, the Working Group transmitted 105 newly reported cases of
disappearance to 22 Governments, 53 of which allegedly occurred during the
reporting period. The Working Group used the urgent action procedure in 50 of these
cases, which allegedly occurred within the three months preceding the receipt of the
report by the Working Group. During the reporting period, the Working Group was
able to clarify 70 cases of enforced disappearance.
559. Tens of thousands of cases on the books of the Working Group still remain
unclarified, many going back decades. In the 30th year since the establishment of the
Working Group, much more needs to be done to ensure that the fate or whereabouts
of the persons who have disappeared are resolved.
560. In spite of the fact that over 50,000 cases of enforced disappearances have been
registered with the Working group, underreporting remains a major problem. It
occurs for various reasons, including poverty, illiteracy, fear of reprisals, weak
administration of justice, ineffectual reporting channels, institutionalized systems of
impunity, a practice of silence and restrictions on the work of civil society. Much more
needs to be done to facilitate the reporting of cases to the Working Group and
assistance should be provided to family members and members of civil society to do
so.
561. The Working Group is grateful for the cooperation received from a number of
States: it is indispensable for discovering the fate or whereabouts of disappeared
persons around the globe. Nevertheless, it remains concerned that of the 83 States
with outstanding cases, some States have never replied to the Working Group’s
communications and some States provide responses that do not contain relevant
information. The Working Group urges those States to fulfil their obligations under
the Declaration and the resolutions of the General Assembly and the Human Rights
Council.
562. The Working Group acknowledges the efforts of States, many human rights
defenders, non-governmental organizations, lawyers and others who untiringly work
to know the fate or whereabouts of disappeared persons in very adverse
circumstances in all parts of the world and reiterates its solidarity with the victims of
enforced disappearance and their families.
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