Kenyan senator: Int'l community needs laws to probe cases of missing persons

The 2006 UN Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance should be ratified by the international community, said Kenyan Parliament Senator, Professor Tom Odhiambo Ojwang.

He made the remarks at an international conference on “Uniting Efforts and Expanding Cooperation to Address the Issue of Missing Persons,” which is underway in Baku on October 9, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

“In Africa, there is the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. It mentions the right to life and protection. However, there are no specific frameworks to prevent enforced disappearances. I believe all countries should ratify the 2006 UN Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. The international community must have concrete laws for investigating the fate of missing persons and reach reciprocal agreements on cooperation to locate and find these individuals,” the Kenyan Senator emphasised.

The UN Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, adopted in 2006, is an international treaty designed to prevent enforced disappearances, protect victims, and ensure accountability for perpetrators. It defines enforced disappearance as the arrest, detention, or abduction of a person by state officials or with their support, followed by a refusal to acknowledge the deprivation of liberty or disclose the person’s fate or whereabouts, placing them outside the protection of the law.

States that ratify the convention are obligated to criminalise enforced disappearances, prevent them through legislation and oversight, investigate and prosecute cases, and provide remedies and reparations to victims and their families.

The treaty also establishes the Committee on Enforced Disappearances, which monitors compliance, reviews reports from states, and can receive communications regarding alleged violations. By providing a specific legal framework and promoting international cooperation, the convention seeks to close gaps in human rights law and ensure that missing persons are located and protected.

By Khagan Isayev