UN Committee On Enforced Disappearances Publishes Findings On Greece And Niger

GENEVA (12 April 2022) – The UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances today issued its findings on Greece and Niger after reviewing the countries in its latest session.

The findings contain the Committee's main concerns and recommendations on the implementation of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, as well as positive aspects. Key highlights include:

Greece

The Committee was gravely concerned about the criminalisation of search and rescue activities at sea under national legislation and about the prosecution and threats against human rights defenders involved in rescuing victims of enforced disappearance and pushbacks. It called on Greece to ensure that human rights defenders and civil society actors are not criminalised or prosecuted for their involvement in search and rescue operations of migrants or in monitoring and documenting cases of disappearances and assisting victims.

There were reports about the high number of migrants who had disappeared in Greek waters of the Mediterranean and the Evros river while attempting to reach Greece. The Committee regretted it had not received any official statistics in this regard. It recommended that Greece redouble its efforts to prevent and investigate the disappearance of migrants, including in relation to pushbacks and vessels arriving by sea or via the Evros River, and ensure that those responsible are prosecuted. It also asked Greece to intensify its efforts to search for, locate, and in the case of death, identify and return the remains of disappeared migrants, including unaccompanied minors.

Niger

The Committee noted with empathy the statement made by the Niger delegation that “In every family, there is a disappeared or abducted person.” The Committee took note of the many challenges faced by Niger due to severe abuses, including disappearances, committed by non-State armed groups. It regretted however that it had not received information on the investigations into these disappearances nor on the prosecution of the perpetrators. It called on Niger to take immediate action to investigate all disappearances by non-State actors and prosecute and sentence all perpetrators.

The Committee was concerned about the allegations that some individuals were held in police custody or pre-trial detention in secret locations. It also expressed concern that the country’s Code of Criminal Procedure does not guarantee the right of people in police custody to inform their families of their detention. It asked Niger to guarantee that no one is held in secret detention, including by ensuring that all persons deprived of liberty are afforded all the fundamental legal safeguards set out in the Convention and other human rights instruments.

The above findings, officially known as Concluding Observations, are now available on the session webpage.

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