Enforced Disappearances in Sri Lanka: 2006-2013

• by WATCHDOG 
• - on 01/09/2014

This is a summary of a longer report. Please download it as a PDF here or read it online here. All photos taken and provided by the author.

Introduction

According to Article 7, paragraph 2(i) of the Rome Statute[1], an Enforced disappearance is defined as “…the arrest, detention or abduction of persons by, or with the authorization, support or acquiescence of, a State or a political organization, followed by a refusal to acknowledge that deprivation of freedom or to give information on the fate or whereabouts of those persons, with the intention of removing them from the protection of the law for a prolonged period of time”.

Often when addressing the issue of enforced disappearances, the focus is on either the disappeared person, or the perpetrator. Rarely is the focus on the families that are left behind to cope with their grief and pursue justice for their disappeared family members and themselves. In a country like Sri Lanka, where no official structures are in place to provide recourse and render comfort to the families of the disappeared, the extent of their vulnerability is largely dependent on their awareness of their rights, their access to justice and available support systems.

The objective of this Watchdog report is facilitate the criminalization of enforced disappearances in Sri Lanka, recognize and uphold the rights of the families of those who have disappeared and repeal the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act No 48 of 1979, under the auspices of which the State and its organs carry out enforced disappearances.

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