Blinken on 'International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances': Governments Must Hold Perpetrators Accountable

On the 'International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances', the United States expressed solidarity with all victims of this crime, calling for an end to it and for the accountability of its perpetrators. On Friday, September 9, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued a statement regarding this issue, stating that enforced disappearance is a 'gross violation of human rights' and causes victims to suffer 'psychological trauma related to detention or uncertain disappearance'. According to Blinken, most victims of this crime are targeted due to their dissent or their support for human rights and democracy. He further noted that families of victims of enforced disappearance endure severe pain as they remain unaware of the whereabouts of their loved ones and whether they are dead or alive. The U.S. Secretary of State added, 'The suffering that enforced disappearance inflicts on victims and their families is unimaginable.' In another part of his statement, he mentioned that three governments—China, Russia, and Syria—are among those committing this crime. Blinken stated that China subjects religious and ethnic minority groups, lawyers, activists, and others to enforced disappearance. He added that Russia has enforced the disappearance of thousands of civilians in the occupied areas of Ukraine, with no information available about their whereabouts or status. He also referred to the crimes of the Syrian government, which has enforced the disappearance of over 110,000 people, including children and women, or has arbitrarily detained them. In conclusion, Blinken called for an end to this practice, accountability for its perpetrators, and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all. The Islamic Republic of Iran is accused of committing thousands of cases of enforced disappearance against its opponents and critics over its four and a half decades of rule in Iran. According to Amnesty International, 'Between July and September 1988, officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran forcibly disappeared thousands of political prisoners and executed them in an extrajudicial process, secretly burying their bodies.' Amnesty International further reported, 'To this day, officials continue to conceal the facts related to the fate of those executed and their burial locations, destroy nameless mass graves believed to contain the remains of the deceased, and threaten, harass, and prosecute survivors, relatives of the executed, and all those seeking justice and truth.' Amnesty International also noted, 'Not a single current or former official has been held accountable for these ongoing crimes against humanity in Iran. Instead, officials against whom there is evidence of direct involvement in these crimes have assumed the highest state positions, including Minister of Justice, Head of the Judiciary, and Presidency.' Saeed Zinati, who was arrested by security agents at his home during the 1999 student protests at Tehran University, is considered one of the longest-standing enforced disappearances, and government agencies have refrained from providing information about him for a quarter of a century. Other cases of enforced disappearance in Iran include Idris Faqihi and Osman Mame, who disappeared after being arrested by Iranian security forces in Boukan, West Azerbaijan Province, in 2021 and 2022, respectively. According to the Kurdistan Human Rights Network, 'All efforts by their families to learn about their fate have faced threats, mockery, and indifference from security and judicial authorities.' The United Nations criticized the 'gross violation' of the rights of ethnic and religious minorities during the protests in Iran over the past five years.