Message on the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances
强迫失踪受害者国际日致辞
30 August 2016
2016年8月30日
The classic image of a victim of enforced disappearance is that of a person being deprived of liberty, taken to a secret place of detention, and being kept there without any further contact with the outside world. Yet victims of enforced disappearances are also the parents, children, partners or friends of those who have disappeared; anguished women and men desperately seeking any information, even if only a clue, that will lead them to their loved ones.
强迫失踪受害者的典型形象是：一个人在失去自由后，被带往一个秘密羁押地点，被关在那里，与外界失去任何联系。然而，失踪者的父母、子女、伴侣或朋友也是强迫失踪行为的受害者；痛苦不堪的妇女和男子迫不及待地打听能够让他们找到亲人的任何消息，哪怕只是一点线索。
According to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, a victim is also “any individual who has suffered harm as the direct result of an enforced disappearance”. With the support of their communities, human rights defenders, and non-governmental organizations, these victims seek and demand adequate responses from the authorities. They have a right to know the truth regarding the circumstances of these disappearances, the progress and results of any investigations, and ultimately, the fate and whereabouts of their loved ones.
根据《保护所有人免遭强迫失踪国际公约》的规定，受害者也包括“任何因强迫失踪而受到直接伤害的个人”。在社区、维护人权人士和非政府组织的协助下，这些受害者寻求和要求政府部门作出适当回应。他们有权了解这些失踪事件的真相、任何调查的进展情况和结果，并最终知道自己亲人的命运和下落。
All States have an obligation to investigate, prosecute and punish enforced disappearances, as well as to provide redress to its victims. However, victims often face a lack of responsiveness or outright hostility from the authorities to which they reach out. The Committee on Enforced Disappearances and the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, the two main United Nations expert mechanisms in this realm, have received accounts of reprisals such as arbitrary arrests, threats, and intimidation against relatives, or against the human rights defenders, lawyers, and non-governmental organizations that support them.
所有国家均有义务调查、起诉和惩处强迫失踪行为，并向强迫失踪行为的受害者提供补救。然而，受害者在与政府部门接触时，往往要面对不理不睬或公然敌视的情况。强迫失踪问题委员会和强迫或非自愿失踪问题工作组是联合国在这一领域的两个主要专家机制，它们负责接收关于各种打击报复的陈述，例如任意逮捕、威胁和恐吓亲属或向其提供协助的维护人权人士、律师和非政府组织的行为。
On this International Day, I call on States to acknowledge that family members and friends of the disappeared are also victims, and to guarantee their right to full protection from any form of reprisals. I also urge all Member States to sign, ratify or accede to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, which includes specific provisions against the ill-treatment or intimidation of witnesses, relatives, and persons participating in the investigation of enforced disappearances.
值此国际日之际，我呼吁各国认识到，失踪者的家庭成员和朋友也是受害者，并保障他们受到充分保护的权利，免遭任何形式的打击报复。我还敦促所有成员国签署、批准或加入《保护所有人免遭强迫失踪国际公约》，该公约明确规定不得虐待或恐吓证人、亲属及参与调查强迫失踪行为的人员。
Let us all show solidarity with the victims and their relatives as they strive to realize their right for truth and justice.
让我们所有人都表示声援，支持受害者及其亲属努力实现了解真相和寻求正义的权利。
