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Declaration on the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearance
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act
[
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PREAMBLE
[
go to this PREAMBLE
]
...
Considering that
enforced disappearance
undermines the deepest
values
of any
society
committed to
respect
for the
rule of law
,
human rights
and
fundamental freedoms
, and that the
systematic
practice
of such
acts
is of the
nature
of a
crime against humanity
, ...
...
Having
regard
also to the
Convention
against
Torture
and Other
Cruel
,
Inhuman
or
Degrading Treatment
or
Punishment
, which provides that
States parties
shall take effective
measures
to
prevent
and
punish
acts
of
torture
, ...
...
Bearing in
mind
that, while the
acts
which comprise
enforced disappearance
constitute
a
violation
of the
prohibitions
found in the aforementioned
international instruments
, it is none the less
important
to devise an
instrument
which characterizes all
acts
of enforce
disappearance of persons
as very
serious
offences
and sets forth standards designed to
punish
and
prevent
their
commission
, ...
...
Bearing in
mind
that, while the
acts
which comprise
enforced disappearance
constitute
a
violation
of the
prohibitions
found in the aforementioned
international instruments
, it is none the less
important
to devise an
instrument
which characterizes all
acts
of enforce
disappearance of persons
as very
serious
offences
and sets forth standards designed to
punish
and
prevent
their
commission
, ...
ARTICLE-1
[
go to this ARTICLE
]
... Any
act
of
enforced disappearance
is an
offence
to
human dignity
. It is
condemned
as a denial of the
purposes
of the
Charter of the United Nations
and as a
grave
and flagrant
violation
of the
human rights
and
fundamental freedoms
proclaimed in the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
and
reaffirmed
and developed in
international instruments
in this
field
. ...
... Any
act
of
enforced disappearance
places
the
persons
subjected thereto outside the
protection
of the
law
and inflicts severe
suffering
on them and their
families
. It constitutes a
violation
of the
rules
of
international law
guaranteeing
,
inter alia
, the
right
to
recognition
as a
person
before the
law
, the
right
to
liberty
and
security
of the
person
and the
right
not to be subjected to
torture
and other
cruel
,
inhuman
or
degrading treatment
or
punishment
. It also violates or constitutes a
grave
threat
to the
right to life
. ...
ARTICLE-2
[
go to this ARTICLE
]
...
States
shall
act
at the
national
and
regional levels
and in
cooperation
with the
United Nations
to
contribute
by all means to the
prevention
and
eradication
of enforce
disappearance
. ...
ARTICLE-3
[
go to this ARTICLE
]
... Each
State
shall take effective
legislative
,
administrative
,
judicial
or other
measures
to
prevent
and
terminate
acts
of
enforced disappearance
in any
territory
under its
jurisdiction
. ...
ARTICLE-4
[
go to this ARTICLE
]
... All
acts
of
enforced disappearance
shall be
offences
under
criminal law
punishable by appropriate
penalties
which shall take into
account
their
extreme
seriousness.
Mitigating
circumstances
may be
established
in
national legislation
for
persons
who, having
participated
in
enforced disappearances
, are instrumental in bringing the
victims
forward
alive
or in providing voluntarily
information
which would
contribute
to clarifying
cases
of
enforced disappearance
. ...
ARTICLE-14
[
go to this ARTICLE
]
... Any
person
alleged to have perpetrated an
act
of
enforced disappearance
in a particular
State
shall, when the
facts
disclosed by an
official
investigation
so
warrant
, be brought before the
competent
civil
authorities
of that
State
for the
purpose
of
prosecution
and
trial
unless he has been
extradited
to another
State
wishing to
exercise
jurisdiction
in
accordance
with the
relevant
international agreements
in
force
. All
States
should take any
lawful
and appropriate
action
available to them to bring to
justice
all
persons
presumed
responsible
for an
act
of
enforced disappearance
, who are found to be within their
jurisdiction
or under their
control
. ...
... Any
person
alleged to have perpetrated an
act
of
enforced disappearance
in a particular
State
shall, when the
facts
disclosed by an
official
investigation
so
warrant
, be brought before the
competent
civil
authorities
of that
State
for the
purpose
of
prosecution
and
trial
unless he has been
extradited
to another
State
wishing to
exercise
jurisdiction
in
accordance
with the
relevant
international agreements
in
force
. All
States
should take any
lawful
and appropriate
action
available to them to bring to
justice
all
persons
presumed
responsible
for an
act
of
enforced disappearance
, who are found to be within their
jurisdiction
or under their
control
. ...
ARTICLE-15
[
go to this ARTICLE
]
... The
fact
that there are grounds to believe that a
person
has
participated
in
acts
of an extremely
serious
nature
such as those referred to in
article
4
, paragraph 1, above, regardless of the
motives
, shall be taken into
account
when the
competent authorities
of the
State
decide
whether or not to
grant
asylum
. ...
ARTICLE-16
[
go to this ARTICLE
]
...
Persons
alleged to have committed any of the
acts
referred to in
article
4
, paragraph 1, above, shall be suspended from any
official duties
during the
investigation
referred to in
article
13
above. ...
... The
persons
presumed
responsible
for such
acts
shall be
guaranteed
fair treatment
in
accordance
with the
relevant
provisions
of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
and other
relevant
international agreements
in
force
at all stages of the
investigation
and eventual
prosecution
and
trial
. ...
ARTICLE-17
[
go to this ARTICLE
]
...
Acts
constituting
enforced disappearance
shall be considered a continuing
offence
as long as the perpetrators
continue
to conceal the fate and the whereabouts of
persons
who have
disappeared
and these
facts
remain unclarified. ...
... When the
remedies
provided for in
article
2 of the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
are no longer effective, the
statute of limitations
relating to
acts
of
enforced disappearance
shall be suspended until these
remedies
are re-
established
. ...
...
Statutes
of
limitations
, where they
exist
, relating to
acts
of
enforced disappearance
shall be substantial and commensurate with the
extreme
seriousness of the
offence
. ...
ARTICLE-18
[
go to this ARTICLE
]
...
Persons
who have or are alleged to have committed
offences
referred to in
article
4
, paragraph 1, above, shall not
benefit
from any
special
amnesty law
or similar
measures
that might have the
effect
of exempting them from any
criminal proceedings
or
sanction
. In the
exercise
of the
right
of pardon, the
extreme
seriousness of
acts
of
enforced disappearance
shall be taken into
account
. ...
ARTICLE-19
[
go to this ARTICLE
]
... The
victims
of
acts
of
enforced disappearance
and their
family
shall obtain
redress
and shall have the
right
to adequate
compensation
,
including
the means for as complete a
rehabilitation
as possible. In the
event
of the
death
of the
victim
as a result of an
act
of
enforced disappearance
, their dependents shall also be entitled to
compensation
. ...
... The
victims
of
acts
of
enforced disappearance
and their
family
shall obtain
redress
and shall have the
right
to adequate
compensation
,
including
the means for as complete a
rehabilitation
as possible. In the
event
of the
death
of the
victim
as a result of an
act
of
enforced disappearance
, their dependents shall also be entitled to
compensation
. ...
ARTICLE-20
[
go to this ARTICLE
]
... The abduction of
children
of
parents
subjected to
enforced disappearance
or of
children
born
during their
mother
's
enforced disappearance
, and the
act
of altering or suppressing
documents
attesting to their true
identity
, shall
constitute
an extremely
serious
offence
, which shall be punished as such. ...
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