UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances publishes findings on Armenia, Belize,

GENEVA – The UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED) today issued its findings on Armenia, Belize, Gabon and Lesotho after reviewing the four States Parties during its latest session.

The findings present the Committee’s main concerns and recommendations regarding the implementation of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, as well as positive aspects. Key issues include:

Armenia

The Committee was concerned about the limited information concerning the search for persons whose disappearance occurred outside of military operations and not falling within the scope of the Law on Persons Missing under Conditions and Circumstances Resulting from Military Operations, and about the slow progress of the search for all disappeared persons. It also raised concerns about the lack of progress of investigations into allegations of enforced disappearance, including in the context of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and noted that relatives were not regularly informed of the progress and results of searches and investigations. The Committee recommended that Armenia develop comprehensive search strategies, ensuring that all persons who have disappeared are searched for until their fate and whereabouts are clarified, regardless of the time, place, and circumstances in which the disappearances occurred. It also called for all allegations to be effectively investigated in a coordinated way; perpetrators to be prosecuted and appropriately punished; and for victims to be informed, able to participate in proceedings and receive full reparation.

The Committee welcomed the commitment to include a specific reference in the peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan to the need to address cases of disappeared persons and enforced disappearances, but was concerned that cooperation between the two countries remains limited and that the modalities of cooperation on disappeared persons will be determined in a separate arrangement upon ratification of the peace agreement. It urged Armenia to strengthen cooperation and mutual legal assistance with Azerbaijan and other neighbouring countries; called for closer cooperation among the commissions dealing with cases of disappeared persons, prosecutors and law enforcement authorities; and for the rapid establishment of a mechanism to facilitate the search for, recovery, and identification of located bodies and human remains.

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