,,iv  #aafth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,h4 ,,res4 #abca  ,,in ,,the ,,house    
,,of ,,representatives  ,november #ai1  
#bjbj,mr4 ,sherman 7for himself and ,mr4
 ,raskin7 submitted the following       
resolution2 which was referred to the   
,committee on ,foreign ,affairs1 and in 
addition to the ,committee on the       
,judiciary1 for a period to be          
subsequently determined by the ,speaker1
 in each case for consideration of such 
provisions as fall within the           
jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
,,resolution  ,calling for an end to    
enforced disappearances in ,asia and    
around the world1 and calling upon the  
,united ,states to ratify the           
,international ,convention for the      
,protection of ,all ,persons from       
,enforced ,disappearance4  ,whereas     
enforced disappearances constitute grave
 human rights violations and are a crime
 under international law2 ,whereas the  
,international ,convention for the      
,protection of ,all ,persons from       

,enforced ,disappearance 7,,icpped7 was 
adopted by the ,united ,nations ,general
 ,assembly on ,december #bj1 #bjjf1 and 
entered into force on ,december #bc1    
#bjaj2 ,whereas ,article #b of the      
,,icpped defines enforced disappearance 
as the arrest1 detention1 abduction or  
any other form of deprivation of liberty
 by agents of the ,state or by persons  
or groups of persons acting with the    
authorization1 support or acquiescence  
of the ,state1 followed by a refusal to 
acknowledge the deprivation of liberty  
or by concealment of the fate or        
whereabouts of the disappeared person2  
,whereas1 since its creation in #aihj1  
the ,united ,nations ,working ,group on 
,involuntary ,enforced ,disappearances  
brought up #eg1hia cases to the         
attention of #ajh states1 and #de1haa   
cases remain unresolved2 ,whereas the   
fate and whereabouts of hundreds of     
thousands of victims of enforced        
disappearances around the world continue
 to be unknown even decades after the   

end of conflict and repressive regimes2 
,whereas the failure to clarify the fate
 and whereabouts of those forcibly      
disappeared causes continuing pain and  
suffering to survivors and victims1 and 
hinders societal reconciliation and     
justice2 ,whereas clarifying the fate of
 those who have been forcibly           
disappeared is an essential measure of  
transitional justice1 alongside criminal
 accountability1 truthtelling           
initiatives1 and reparations1 all of    
which assist societies in addressing    
legacies of mass atrocities1 ensuring   
accountability1 and preventing the      
recurrence of conflict and atrocities2  
,whereas under the ,international       
,convention on ,disappearances1 every   
victim has the right to know the truth  
regarding the circumstances of the      
enforced disappearance1 the progress and
 results of the investigation1 and the  
fate of the disappeared person2 ,whereas
 relatives of victims of enforced       
disappearances and members of civil     

society often face reprisals for seeking
 information and justice1 and such      
reprisals are often carried out under   
the pretext of security and             
counterterrorism measures2 ,whereas the 
,united ,nations ,committee on the      
,elimination of ,racial ,discrimination 
was alarmed by the numerous reports     
about arbitrary detention of possibly a 
million ,uyghurs and ,muslim minorities2
 ,whereas most ,uyghur detainees are    
held without or on unknown charges in   
several facilities in the ,xinjiang     
,uyghur ,autonomous ,region1 and the    
whereabouts and physical condition of   
many remain unknown2 ,whereas with the  
passage into law of the ,uyghur ,human  
,rights ,policy ,act of #bjbj 7,public  
,law #aaf-ade71 it is the policy of the 
,united ,states to condemn the mass     
arbitrary detention of ,uyghurs and     
members of other ,muslim minority groups
 in ,xinjiang and sanction those        
responsible for causing the             
disappearances of persons and the       

prolonged detention of those persons    
without charges and trial2 ,whereas     
according to ,amnesty ,international1   
,sri ,lanka is home to one of the       
world's highest number of enforced      
disappearances1 with somewhere between  
#fj1jjj to #ajj1jjj people allegedly    
disappeared since the late #aihjs2      
,whereas1 during the #bf-year civil war 
ending in #bjji between government      
forces and the ,liberation ,tigers of   
,tamil ,eelam1 tens of thousands of     
,tamils were forcibly disappeared by the
 police1 military1 and paramilitary     
operatives2 ,whereas the ,united        
,nations ,working ,group on ,enforced or
 ,involuntary ,disappearances stated in 
#bjbj that the second-largest number of 
unresolved enforced disappearance cases 
in the world before the ,working ,group 
involves ,sri ,lanka1 with the ,working 
,group having transmitted communications
 to the ,sri ,lankan ,government        
relating to over #ab1gjj disappearance  
cases1 of which #f1aag were still       

outstanding1 and that ,sri ,lankan state
 authorities1 have not replied in regard
 to any cases2 ,whereas in #bjaf the    
,sri ,lankan ,government acknowledged   
having received at least #fe1jjj        
complaints of enforced disappearances   
since #aiie2 ,whereas ,sri ,lanka       
ratified the ,international ,convention 
for the ,protection of ,all ,persons    
from ,enforced ,disappearance in ,may   
#bjaf1 and passed domestic legislation  
criminalizing enforced disappearances in
 ,march #bjah2 ,whereas1 according to a 
#bjbj ,united ,nations ,special         
,rapporteur's report1 no observable     
progress has been made on pending cases1
 including habeas corpus applications   
into the disappearance of ,tamil ,tigers
 and members of their families who      
surrendered during the final days of the
 war2 ,whereas1 in ,january #bjbj1      
,president ,gotabaya ,rajapaksa stated  
that missing persons are actually dead1 
without providing any evidence2 ,whereas
 lawyers1 human rights defenders1 and   

victims involved in cases of enforced   
disappearances face intimidation1       
harassment1 and violence from state and 
private actors1 particularly since      
,rajapaksa became ,president2 ,whereas  
the ,government of ,sri ,lanka has      
promoted high-ranking military officials
 suspected of forcibly disappearing     
persons and bearing responsibility for  
war crimes1 including ,lieutenant       
,general ,shavendra ,silva1 and has     
failed to hold accountable other current
 military officials accused of war      
crimes2 ,whereas1 since ,january #bjbj1 
the practice by the former government of
 issuing interim relief to families of  
the disappeared1 as recommended by the  
,office on ,missing ,persons1 was       
discontinued1 putting families of       
disappeared persons under further       
financial strain2 ,whereas the          
,rajapaksa government has said it will  
no longer comply with the ,united       
,nations ,human ,rights ,council        
,resolution #cj_/a1 supported by the    

,united ,states1 committing ,sri ,lanka 
to truth1 justice1 and accountability   
for violations of human rights2 ,whereas
 ,sri ,lankan authorities are failing to
 effectively investigate and1 where     
there is sufficient evidence1 prosecute 
those suspected of perpetrating enforced
 disappearances1 as recommended by the  
,united ,nations ,working ,group on     
,enforced or ,involuntary               
,disappearances2 ,whereas ,tamil        
families of the disappeared have        
demonstrated tremendous courage in      
conducting continuing protests1 lasting 
over #a1cjj days1 to demand answers from
 the ,sri ,lankan state1 despite being  
met with threats1 intimidation1 and     
harassment by state security forces2    
,whereas the ,prevention of ,terrorism  
,act1 a law that has been misused to    
facilitate enforced disappearances1     
remains in use1 despite the former      
government's pledges to repeal it2      
,whereas under the ,government of former
 ,president ,suharto1 from #aifg to     

#aiih1 countless ,indonesians were      
victims of enforced disappearances      
conducted by the military1 police1      
intelligence agencies1 and other state  
authorities2 ,whereas rather than       
investigate and hold those responsible  
for enforced disappearances to account1 
the ,indonesian ,government has         
appointed former generals allegedly     
involved in kidnappings and enforced    
disappearances to senior posts in the   
,defense ,ministry2 ,whereas1 during    
,indonesia's occupation of ,east ,timor 
from #aige to #aiii1 around #ah1fjj     
people were forcibly disappeared1 as    
documented by the independent           
,commission for ,reception1 ,truth and  
,reconciliation 7,,cavr7 in its #bjje   
report2 ,whereas1 in #bjaj1 ,indonesia  
signed the ,international ,convention   
for the ,protection of ,all ,persons    
from ,enforced ,disappearance signaling 
its recognition of its obligation to    
investigate ongoing disappearances2     
however1 it has yet to ratify the       

convention2 ,whereas the ,united        
,nations ,working ,group on ,enforced or
 ,involuntary ,disappearances has       
received #a1add cases of allegations of 
enforced disappearances from ,pakistan  
between #aihj and #bjai2 ,whereas1 in   
#bjaa1 ,pakistan established the        
,commission of ,inquiry on ,enforced    
,disappearances 7,,coied7 to trace the  
whereabouts of allegedly enforced       
disappeared persons and fix             
responsibility on individuals or        
organizations responsible2 ,whereas1    
since #bjaa1 ,pakistan's ,,coied has    
received more than #e1bij reported cases
 of enforced disappearances carried out 
by state officials2 ,whereas the        
majority of the victims of enforced     
disappearances in ,pakistan are ,baloch1
 ,pashtun1 or ,sindhi2 ,whereas the     
,government of ,pakistan has not        
adequately investigated and held        
perpetrators of enforced disappearances 
responsible2 ,whereas the ,united       
,nations ,working ,group on ,enforced or

 ,involuntary ,disappearance has        
described a culture of entrenched       
impunity regarding the practice of      
enforced disappearances in ,pakistan2   
,whereas the whereabouts and fate of    
over #b1jjj victims of enforced         
disappearances of citizens 7,sindhis7 of
 ,sindh ,province1 ,pakistan1 remain    
unsolved1 including those of-- 7#a7     
,aqib ,chandio1 #bj1 a student1 abducted
 for the second time on ,july #g1 #bjbj2
  7#b7 ,gulam ,rasul ,shar and ,bashir  
,ahmed ,shar1 brothers1 abducted in     
,karachi on ,august #af1 #bjbj2  7#c7   
,mehran ,ali ,mirani1 #ah1 a student and
 shopkeeper1 violently abducted in      
,hyderabad1 ,sindh1 on ,january #ac1    
#bjbj2 and  7#d7 ,insaf ,ali ,dayo1 a   
young tailor1 abducted from his shop in 
,larkana1 ,sindh1 by a group that       
included uniformed military personnel on
 ,may #bi1 #bjag2 ,whereas disappeared  
people who have been released have      
received threats1 or threats to their   
family members1 to prevent them from    

recounting their experience to media or 
seeking justice2 ,whereas ,amnesty      
,international and other internationally
 recognized human rights organizations  
have called upon the ,government of     
,pakistan to end enforced disappearances
 against all individuals1 including     
,sindhis1 and to either immediately     
release the victims of enforced         
disappearance or ensure that they are   
brought promptly before a judge in a    
civilian court to rule on the lawfulness
 of their arrest or detention2 and      
,whereas according to the ,united       
,nations1 states have a duty to         
strengthen their efforts1 with the      
support of international human rights   
mechanisms1 to prevent enforced         
disappearances1 to search for victims1  
and to increase assistance to victims   
and their relatives3 ,now1 therefore1 be
 it ,that the ,house of                 
,representatives-- 7#a7 calls for       
justice for victims of enforced         
disappearances and accountability for   

those bearing responsibility for these  
crimes2  7#b7 calls for ,united ,states 
law enforcement to use all available    
legal and statutory tools to ensure that
 alleged perpetrators of enforced       
disappearances are held accountable in  
,united ,states courts and to ensure    
that the ,united ,states is not a safe  
haven for human rights violators2  7#c7 
urges all countries to abandon the      
unlawful practice of enforced           
disappearances2  7#d7 calls upon the    
,department of ,state and the ,united   
,states ,agency for ,international      
,development to continue to support     
transitional justice measures and       
initiatives to assist victims and       
survivors of enforced disappearances1   
including by supporting national1       
international1 and hybrid mechanisms to 
clarify the fate and whereabouts of the 
disappeared2  7#e7 urges the ,united    
,states to sign and ratify the          
,international ,convention for the      
,protection of ,all ,persons from       

,enforced ,disappearance2  7#f7 calls   
upon the ,government of ,china to-- 7,a7
 immediately release all persons held in
 arbitrary detention in ,xinjiang1      
unless there is sufficient credible and 
admissible evidence that they have      
committed an internationally recognized 
offense2  7,b7 repeal or amend all laws 
and regulations1 and end all related    
measures1 that impermissibly restrict   
the exercise of human rights by ,uyghurs
 and other ethnic minorities2 and  7,c7 
allow independent and unrestricted      
access to ,xinjiang for independent     
human rights monitors1 and make the     
whereabouts and condition of all        
detainees known to their families2  7#g7
 calls upon the ,government of ,sri     
,lanka to-- 7,a7 carry out effective and
 independent investigations with a view 
of swiftly bringing to justice those    
responsible for enforced disappearances2
  7,b7 recommit the ,government to      
complying with the transitional justice 
goals and framework as articulated in   

the ,united ,nations ,human ,rights     
,council ,resolution #cj_/a1 and        
implement measures to establish the     
transitional justice mechanisms outlined
 in the resolution2  7,c7 end the       
threats and intimidation against        
families of the disappeared1            
journalists1 human rights defenders1 and
 lawyers engaged in cases of enforced   
disappearances2  7,d7 consult with      
victims and families of the disappeared1
 release lists of those detained since  
#aigh under the ,prevention of          
,terrorism ,act1 and investigate and    
release a list of all secret detention  
centers2  7,e7 resume the practice of   
issuing interim relief to families of   
the disappeared1 as recommended by the  
,office on ,missing ,persons2  7,f7     
repeal the ,prevention of ,terrorism    
,act and stop the misuse of laws1       
including the ,international ,covenant  
on ,civil and ,political ,rights1 to    
threaten1 harass and prosecute          
dissenters1 journalists and activists2  

and  7,g7 work with the ,united ,states 
,government to pursue those responsible 
for atrocity crimes and ensuring that   
the fate of all of those disappeared is 
determined2  7#h7 calls upon the        
,government of ,indonesia to-- 7,a7     
fulfill the ,government's obligations   
under international law2  7,b7 ensure   
that the military institution cooperates
 with human rights and justice sector   
institutions1 including the ,human      
,rights ,commission2  7,c7 establish ad 
hoc human rights courts for enforced    
disappearances in #aiig-aiih and        
prosecute those responsible for enforced
 disappearances and other atrocities in 
,indonesia2 and  7,d7 ratify the signed 
,convention for the ,protection of ,all 
,persons from ,enforced ,disappearance2 
and  7#i7 calls upon the ,government of 
,pakistan to-- 7,a7 swiftly release all 
citizens of ,pakistan who have been     
arbitrarily abducted and detained2  7,b7
 condemn the enforced disappearance of  
,sindhis1 of any religion or            

association1 in ,sindh ,province2  7,c7 
work to ensure any actions taken in     
pursuit of legitimate security threats  
respect the human rights of all people  
and adhere to international human rights
 law2 and  7,d7 criminalize the practice
 of enforced disappearances4