A/HRC/22/45
15.
During the reporting period, all the members of the Working Group carried out a
number of activities connected to enforced disappearances, which included their
participation in seminars, training events, workshops and lectures.
B.
Meetings
16.
During the period under review, representatives of the Governments of Algeria, the
Gambia, Guatemala, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Japan, Morocco, Namibia, Pakistan, the
Republic of Korea, Serbia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan and Togo attended the sessions of
the Working Group. A number of other informal meetings were held with various States
during the year. The Working Group also met with the Committee on Enforced
Disappearances, representatives of international governmental organizations, human rights
non-governmental organizations and associations of relatives of disappeared persons and
families of victims of enforced disappearances or witnesses thereto.
C.
Communications
17.
During the reporting period, the Working Group transmitted 208 new cases of
enforced disappearance to 21 States.
18.
The Working Group transmitted 59 of the above-mentioned cases under the urgentaction procedure to Algeria, Bangladesh, the Central African Republic, Mauritania,
Mexico, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, Ukraine and
Uzbekistan.
19.
During the same period, the Working Group clarified 74 cases, in Algeria,
Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Egypt, Iraq, Libya, Morocco, Myanmar, Pakistan, Spain, the
Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan and Uruguay. Of the 74 cases, 61 were clarified on the
basis of information provided by Governments, and 13 on the basis of information provided
by sources.
20.
During the reporting period, the Working Group transmitted 10 prompt-intervention
communications addressing harassment of and threats to human rights defenders and
relatives of disappeared persons in Algeria, India, Mexico, the Russian Federation, Sri
Lanka and Turkey. All were sent as joint communications with other special procedures
mandates.
21.
The Working Group transmitted 16 urgent appeals concerning persons who had been
arrested, detained, abducted or otherwise deprived of their liberty or who had been forcibly
disappeared or were at risk of disappearance in Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the
Congo, India, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Jordan, Mali, Mexico, the Syrian Arab Republic,
the United Arab Emirates and Zimbabwe. All communications were sent jointly with other
special procedures mechanisms.
22.
During the reporting period, the Working Group transmitted three general
allegations, to the Governments of Eritrea, of Lithuania and of the Philippines,1 and adopted
a general allegation on Thailand. The Working Group also transmitted, jointly with other
special procedures mechanisms, two general allegations to the Democratic People‘s
Republic of Korea and Colombia (see also annex I).
1
As indicated in the previous annual report (see A/HRC/19/58/Rev.1, para. 22), summaries of the three
general allegations, which were considered by the Working Group at its ninety-fifth session, are
included in annex I.
5