European NGOs ask EU to condemn Colombian disappearances
European NGOs ask EU to condemn Colombian disappearances
Thursday, 16 February 2012 11:06
Miriam Wells
An organization representing more than 30 European NGOs has asked the European Union to call for a "frontal assault" on Colombian forced disappearances, reported newspaper La Vanguardia Thursday.
The International Office for Human Rights-Action on Colombia (OIDHACO) says the EU must demand the Colombian government do something about this abuse, highlighting that in May 2011 the total number of missing people reached 57,200, according to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. This represents a 40% increase in forced disappearances from 2009.
It has the second-highest incidence of forced disappearance after Argentina and the situation continues to worsen, according to a report released last year by Washington-based NGO Council of Hemispheric Affairs.
OIDHACO spokesman Vincent Vallies said he was deeply worried by "the silence of the EU before this drama which affects thousands of people." The EU must take a public stand and demand that forced disappearances stop, he said.
More:
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/22243-ngos-ask-europe-to-condemn-colombian-disappearances.html