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Convention for the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearance |10 November 2016

National Assembly approves ratification

 

The National Assembly has approved for Seychelles to ratify the Convention for the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearance.

This is in line with Article 64(4) of the Constitution.

The leader of government business Charles De Commarmond tabled the motion.

Presenting arguments on the motion Mr De Commarmond noted that all over the world today enforced disappearances of people are being reported almost every day and it has become a great cause for concern.

He said it is real, it is happening and it is alarming to the point that the United Nations has been prompted to take action.

Mr De Commarmond noted that officially in Seychelles there are three cases that were reported.

The Convention was adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 2006 and Mr De Commarmond stressed its importance as it covers several aspects of human rights.

The convention came into force in December 2010 after it was ratified by 20 states. As of May this year 95 UN member states had signed the convention and from that figure 52 member states had also ratified it.

“But Seychelles does not feature among the 52 states which have ratified the convention,” Mr De Commarmond noted.

He stressed that once Seychelles moves to ratify the convention it will honour another of its   international obligation with regard to the protection of human rights.

“Among the different provisions and articles of the convention it is stipulated that the state has a role to play in ensuring disappearances do not happen but if they happen it has a crucial role to ensure as much light is shed on the case and that truth and justice prevail,” Mr De Commarmond explained.

He added that by ratifying such a convention will also mean Seychelles will be obliged to amend its related laws to conform with its different provisions.

There was a lot of debate on the motion and members of both parties agreed that once Seychelles ratifies the convention and amends its relative laws it will have to carry out its different provisions meaning such cases here will have to be properly investigated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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