“Impunity compounds the suffering and anguish.  Under international human rights law, families and societies have a right to know the truth about what happened.” UN General Secretary

Today, Sunday 30^th August, is the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, adopted by General Assembly of the United Nations in 2010.

Enforced disappearance is considered “a grave and flagrant violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms”, it “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.”

This day comes while the victims of enforced disappearances in Libya and their loved ones and families living between hope and despair; hope that the disappeared return and despair because of the longevity of their disappearance and lack of any information about their fate, and of the authorities’ lack of concern over their suffering, which is an ongoing violation of human rights of both the disappeared and their families