International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance 2006

Summary

The Convention establishes enforced disappearance as a crime under international law. Requires criminalisation of enforced disappearances, investigation, and prosecution of perpetrators regardless of where the offence occurs. Sri Lanka has signed but not ratified. The Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED) monitors the convention and can receive urgent actions from individuals.

Relevance to the diaspora

Tamil diaspora documentation of tens of thousands of enforced disappearances of Tamil civilians and surrendered LTTE combatants during and after the war is directly relevant to the CPPED framework; diaspora advocacy for Sri Lanka's ratification is a campaign objective, as is use of CED mechanisms for individual cases.

Key provisions

• Art. 2 — definition of enforced disappearance
• Art. 3 — state obligation to investigate and prosecute
• Art. 8 — no statute of limitations for enforced disappearance
• Art. 24 — right to truth and reparations for families
• Art. 30 — urgent action procedure for missing persons

Primary source

Related entries

• → Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court 1998 (ICC)
• → Report of the UN Secretary-General's Panel of Experts on Accountability in Sri Lanka 2011 (UN)
• → UN Human Rights Council Resolution 46/1 (2021) — Sri Lanka Accountability (UN)