United Nations
General Assembly
A/HRC/WGEID/117/1
Distr.: General
20 May 2019
Original: English
Human Rights Council
Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances
Communications, cases examined, observations and other
activities conducted by the Working Group on Enforced or
Involuntary Disappearances*
117th session (11–15 February 2019)
I. Introduction
1.
The Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances conducted its 117th
session in Sarajevo from 11 to 15 February 2019.
2.
The Working Group thanks the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina for the
invitation to hold one of its sessions in Sarajevo. It is also grateful to the Office of the
Resident Coordinator in Bosnia and Herzegovina for the support provided.
II. Communications
3.
Between its 116th and 117th sessions, the Working Group transmitted 51 cases
under its urgent action procedure, to: Bangladesh (1), Burundi (1), Egypt (34), Pakistan (6),
Rwanda (1), Saudi Arabia (4), Sudan (1), United Arab Emirates (2) and Viet Nam (1).
4.
At its 117th session, the Working Group decided to transmit 261 newly reported
cases of enforced disappearance to 19 States: Algeria (13), Bangladesh (1), Burundi (12),
China (1), Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (16), Egypt (10), El Salvador (2), Iran
(Islamic Republic of) (6), Kenya (11), Lebanon (1), Libya (1), Morocco (24), Pakistan (64),
Russian Federation (40), Saudi Arabia (1), Sri Lanka (6), Syrian Arab Republic (48),
Ukraine (2) and United Arab Emirates (2).
5.
The Working Group also clarified 217 cases, in: Argentina (3), Egypt (97), Libya
(1), Morocco (14), Nigeria (1), Pakistan (93), Saudi Arabia (6), Syrian Arab Republic (1)
and Turkey (1). Twenty-seven cases were clarified on the basis of information provided by
the Governments and 190 on the basis of information provided by sources.
6.
Between its 116th and 117th sessions, the Working Group also transmitted 18
communications, either individually or jointly with other special procedure mechanisms:
six urgent appeals, to China (1), Iran (Islamic Republic of) (1), Israel (1), Saudi Arabia (1)
and United Arab Emirates (2); two prompt intervention letters, to Iraq (1) and
Turkmenistan (1); four allegation letters, to Eritrea (1), Ghana (1), Gambia (1) and
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) (1); and six “other letters”, to China (1), Mexico (2),
* The annexes to the present document are reproduced as received, in the languages of submission only.
GE.19-06804(E)