On the eve of the International Day of the Disappeared, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in collaboration with the Embassy of Switzerland in Lebanon, launched the Missing Persons Lebanon Community, with the aim of creating a space for the diverse stakeholders involved in the Missing file – from family associations to International Organizations, NGOs and members of the National Commission – to ensure both a continuous and substantial interaction and collaboration amongst them.
As 2021 marks three years since the Lebanese Parliament has passed Law 105 on the Missing and Forcibly Disappeared, the ICRC urges all stakeholders to work towards the swift operationalization of the National Commission, as it is urgent for the families to start receiving answers on the whereabouts of their loved ones. The ICRC surely remains ready to provide the necessary technical and advisory support towards the clarification of the fate of thousands of people who went missing in Lebanon since 1975.
Indeed, reality has shown that the need to know is passed on from generation to generation, and while unfortunately many parents have passed away, children, grandchildren, and other relatives of the missing and forcibly disappeared persons are still looking for their loved ones, and the ICRC will continue to support them in their search.
“I will keep on looking for the truth. A day must come where we should be able to say this is what happened to the missing people. We cannot turn the page without knowing”. Maytham, 31, grandson of Hussein, missing since 1975.
To mark the International Day of the Disappeared on August 30, the ICRC has created an online interactive experience (www.alifepursuit.com) that walks users through the struggle of the families and the difficult choices they had to make on their journey to look for their missing loved ones.
“Families have the right to know. This right is enshrined in the International Humanitarian Law, and now also in the National Law 105”, says Simone Casabianca Aeschlimann, head of the ICRC delegation in Lebanon. “The ICRC is committed to alleviating the suffering of the families and helping and supporting all stakeholders working towards clarifying the fate of the missing and forcibly disappeared persons”.