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Geneva, Switzerland - On November 21, 2007, Ensaaf met with the United Nations Working Group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) in Geneva, Switzerland, to present general allegations against India for its role in perpetrating enforced disappearances. This visit followed a submission of general allegations as well as 32 individual cases that Ensaaf jointly made with two other prominent human rights groups - REDRESS and the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice at New York University School of Law (CHRGJ). The 32 cases represent credible allegations of disappearances perpetrated by the Punjab police, but not under consideration by the National Human Rights Commission in the Punjab Mass Cremations case because they fall outside of Amritsar district.
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This visit followed a submission of general allegations as well as 32 individual cases that Ensaaf jointly made with two other prominent human rights groups.
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As the submission prepared by Ensaaf, REDRESS, and CHRGJ notes, "The Working Group is uniquely qualified to intervene in this case because of its experience in dealing with situations of mass 'disappearances' and its uncompromising humanitarian mission to assist families affected by enforced disappearances."
More about the UN WGEID
The WGEID was established in 1980 by the UN Commission on Human Rights to assist families in determining the fate and whereabouts of their relatives who, having disappeared, are placed outside the protection of the law. The WGEID endeavors to establish a channel of communication between the families and the governments concerned, to ensure that individual cases which families have brought to the Group's attention are investigated with the objective of clarifying the whereabouts of disappeared persons. Clarification occurs when the fate or whereabouts of the disappeared person is clearly established, irrespective of whether the person is alive or dead. The WGEID is made up of five independent experts.
Upon formal acceptance by the WGEID, the cases will be transmitted to the Indian government with the request that it carry out investigations and inform the Working Group about the results. The general allegations will also be transmitted by the Working Group to the Indian government. Currently, the case submissions and allegations are under consideration by the WGEID.
Universal Periodic Review
In November 2007, Ensaaf also submitted information for consideration by the United Nations Human Rights Council in its Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of India. Under the UPR mechanism, the Human Rights Council is required to assess the fulfillment of human rights obligations and commitments by all UN member states. The Human Rights Council is scheduled to assess India during the first session in April 2008. The Human Rights Council welcomed NGO submissions for this first session, and will consider information submitted by NGOs in its review.
Ensaaf submitted its recent joint report with Human Rights Watch, Protecting the Killers: A Policy of Impunity in Punjab, India, as well as a letter summarizing gross human rights violations perpetrated in Punjab and the government's failure to provide effective remedies for these violations.
Source Ensaaf.org : http://www.ensaaf.org/publications/newsletter/dispatch-dec07.php#un
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