The 52nd Session of the Human Rights Council

27 February - 4 April 2023

Item 4: General debate on human rights situations that require the Council’s attention

22 March 2023

Joint Statement with Association Ma’onah for Human Rights and Immigration and Geneva International Centre for Justice (GICJ)

Delivered by Sasha Granelli / GICJ 

Thank you President, 

The practice of enforced disappearance is a crime under international law and it’s the Council responsibility to condemn and sanction it.  

The expansion of this continuous violation of human rights in several States remains a key issue such as in the Islamic Republic of Iran, where the government uses it to unfairly and disproportionately repress the growing number of peaceful protesters fighting for their human rights. Authorities are arbitrarily arresting people across the country in total impunity. 

Enforced disappearances are not a new phenomenon in the Islamic Republic of Iran history and have been transferred to other countries such as Yemen where militias financed and trained by the Iranian authorities have forcibly disappeared thousands of people in Yemen. 

These violations are faced by journalists, human rights activists but also civilians in order to silence criticism and protest. Most of them are detained in unofficial centres where they are tortured, deprived of any freedom and even die in detention leaving their families in total ignorance of their fate. 

Association Ma’onah for Human Rights and Immigration and Geneva International Centre for Justice (GICJ) condemn the expansion of this practice and call for the release of those arbitrarily detained and disappeared. We urge the international community and this Council to take serious steps against the expansion of this crime and ensure accountability for all the victims and families.