20 years since the historic adoption of the Inter-American Convention on Forced Disappearance of Persons

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the historic adoption of the Inter-American Convention on Forced Disappearance of Persons, adopted in the 24th Ordinary Period of Sessions of the General Assembly of the OAS that took place in Belem do Para, Brazil in June 1994.

Organizations and human rights defenders in the regions make their position public on the pending obligations of the States to eradicate and punish the disappearance of persons, while recognizing the fundamental roles the Commission and Court of Human Rights have played in interpreting the scope of the rights they protect.

A the same time, the organizations and defenders alike make a strong call to the universalization of the Convention, which at this date has only been ratified by 15 countries. See the complete text of the Statement with its signatures here.