In December 2006, the United Nations adopted a major new human rights treaty aimed at preventing and punishing enforced disappearance.
New Zealand didn’t sign it.
You can help change this.
NZ political blogger Idiot/Savant of No Right Turn has launched a short, sharp campaign to petition the government to sign.
Unsurprisingly, given my affection for Amnesty International as a favoured charity, I support this goal wholeheartedly. I would really appreciate it if you download a copy of the petition, walk it around your workplace and get folk to sign it.
If you’ve never felt entirely up to speed on political disappearance and “the disappeared”, there’s a good overview on wikipedia. The list of places with well-known incidents includes Iran, Nazi Germany, Chechnya and Northern Ireland. It is a practice that undermines the most basic aspects of being human, let alone its terrible consequences for freedom and human rights. I believe the government should become a signatory to this new treaty.
I/S has set up a page for the campaign with further information.
When you say “Northern Island” do you mean “Northern Ireland”?
Ha! Yes, indeed.
Unless there’s a secret series of political abductions taking place in deepest darkest Wairarapa?
I’ll change it now 🙂
Yeah, but you didn’t specify the Northern Island in which country. Yes, we have a northern island in New Zealand (although, is the North Island NZ’s northern most island? Or do we have other islands further north?). But it could have been the Northern Island of the United Kingdom (The Orkney’s?). Or the Northern Island of the Cook Islands. People could be disappearing on the Northern Islands of countries ALL OVER THE WORLD!
Sorry, not to make light of a very serious subject.