UN working group expresses solidarity with Baloch victims of enforced disappearances

Feb 05, 2025

Dalbandin [Pakistan] February 5 : The UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances has underlined its determination to bring justice to Balochistan victims of enforced disappearances.
At a national event in Dalbandin on the eve of Baloch Genocide Remembrance Day, the UN Working Group released a statement expressing sympathy with the communities, families, and those who have forcibly vanished according to post shared by Baloch Yakjehti Committee on X.
According to the post, enforced disappearances are still considered a serious breach of international human rights standards and are illegal under international law. The UN Working Group stressed that reliable information indicates enforced disappearances are routinely utilized against activists, human rights advocates, and ethnic and religious minorities, despite government officials' repeated denials of their existence.
To help affected families and governments understand the fate of their loved ones, the UN Working Group has been instrumental in promoting the rights of the disappeared since 1980. The organization has sent more than 61,626 cases of enforced disappearances to 115 nations, highlighting how widespread the problem is as cited by the post on X.
The statement also recognized the incalculable pain that the families of the victims have undergone and how they still live in a state of uncertainty with no answers or accountability. According to the Working Group, chronic underreporting of enforced disappearances permits these crimes to continue unpunished and uncontested in the shadows.
The post on X emphasized that despite regional and global initiatives to stop enforced disappearances, victims and those who support them frequently have their allegations ignored or denied. The Working Group emphasized the pressing need for accountability, transparency, and reliable investigations.
Additionally, it reaffirmed its backing for the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), acknowledging its endeavors to pursue justice and the truth.
The UN Working Group pledged to keep tackling enforced disappearances in Pakistan and the larger Asia-Pacific area going forward. The group intends to approve a thematic report on enforced disappearances about land, natural resources, and environmental challenges during its 136th session, which will take place in Bangkok in May 2025. Later this year, the UN Human Rights Council will hear this report according to the post.
The UN Working Group ended by calling on governments to recognize and address the issue of enforced disappearances, expressing hope for further collaboration with civil society organizations, and making sure that those who continue to suffer receive justice.