The United States has condemned enforced disappearances and urged governments worldwide to end the vice terming it “egregious human rights violation”.
Through a media dispatch yesterday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for an “immediate” halt to the practice and demanded the return of victims to their families.
The statement coincided with the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances.
“Enforced disappearance is an egregious human rights violation that inflicts the trauma of indeterminate detention or disappearance on its victims, whom all too often are targeted for their dissent or advocacy for human rights and democracy.” Blinken affirmed.
He emphasised that the United States stands in solidarity with all victims of enforced disappearance across the globe.
Blinken’s statement comes as president William Ruto continued to vow non-tolerance to any extrajudicial killings of Kenyans amid concerns from human rights actors.
Speaking on Thursday night during a town hall meeting in Kisumu, Ruto denied government involvement in recent reported cases of enforced disappearances following anti-government protests.
“Under my administration, I do not want a situation where a Kenyan disappears. There were days when people [were] found — 20, 30 — in River Yala here executed. President Ruto noted.
He urged any families with missing persons whose disappearances may be related to the recent protests to provide their names to the Interior Ministry for investigation.
Blinken also highlighted the negative impact of enforced disappearances on the families of those targeted.
“The agony that enforced disappearance inflicts on the victims and their families is unimaginable.” He added.
In his statement, Blinken specifically condemned the use of enforced disappearances in several countries.
He highlighted the plight of individuals in China, including members of religious and ethnic minority groups, lawyers, and activists, calling out continued targeting by the state.
He also pointed violations in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine. There, he noted thousands of civilians have [been] forcibly disappeared or held incommunicado, with their whereabouts unknown.
He noted the situation in Syria, where over 110,000 individuals, including many children and women, remain forcibly disappeared or arbitrarily detained.
Blinken called on the governments to take action against all those responsible and deliver justice to the victims.
“The United States urges governments everywhere to put an end to this practice, hold perpetrators accountable, and respect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all.” He added.
