ICMP helps Albania search for victims of Communist regime

The International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) will help Albania excavate mass graves of people who went missing under the Communist regime, Courthouse News Service from the US reports. ICMP and the Albanian authorities will begin by seeking to identify and exhume remains of victims at a site near Mount Dajti, close to Tirana, and a site in Ballsh, in southern Albania. http://bit.ly/2TnyvkB

Sri Lanka: Centrality of victims

In an opinion piece, Lanka Image from Sri Lanka explores the “continued marginalization and suffering felt by victims” of the conflict. The article argues that repairing the damage to victims is vital to ensure lasting peace. “To achieve this, Sri Lanka should look upon Colombia, a country that successfully incorporated the principle of the ‘Centrality of Victims’.” http://bit.ly/2DLNrU6

Italy to allow rescued migrants to disembark after 10 days at sea

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte…

Six people died every day crossing the Mediterranean in 2018

An average of six people died each day trying to cross the Mediterranean in 2018, according to new figures released by the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), the Irish Times reports. Cuts in search-and-rescue operations were one of the reasons the Mediterranean remained the deadliest sea crossing in the world, the agency said. http://bit.ly/2HAgq14

Five migrants dead, 130 missing after boats sink near Djibouti

At least five migrants have died and more than 130 are missing after two boats capsized off the coast of Djibouti, Al Jazeera reports, citing the International Organization for Migration. Search and rescue operations have been launched and at least one person has been rescued. http://bit.ly/2HRSIxJ

Tuam babies: calls for immediate DNA tests

More than 20 survivors of the Tuam Mother and Baby Home have called on the Irish government to take their DNA samples urgently, the BBC reports….

Enforced disappearance in Pakistan

Dawn newspaper from Pakistan reports that the Human Rights Ministry has drafted a bill that amends the Pakistan Penal Code to declare enforced disappearances a criminal offence. Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari said steps are being taken “to protect basic rights of every citizen in pursuance of the Constitution and international commitments”. https://bit.ly/2RnxabE

Transitional justice in Gambia

In an opinion piece, All Africa highlights challenges for the transitional justice process in Gambia, which began on 7 January with hearings of the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparation Commission. Established in October 2018 for a two-year term, the truth commission aims to investigate, record and make recommendations on human rights violations during the regime of President Yahya Jammeh (1994-2017). http://bit.ly/2G7RlZ9

UN ready to help Brazil search for missing after dam collapse

Secretary-General António Guterres said the UN will support the Brazilian authorities in the search and emergency relief efforts following…

Amnesty: Sri Lanka must fulfil commitments on truth and justice

Amnesty International has urged Sri Lanka to fulfil commitments to truth, justice, reparations and guarantees of non-recurrence made in 2015. In a new report, Amnesty highlights key advances – including the establishment of the Office on Missing Persons (OMP) – but urges implementation of related initiatives, including the establishment of an Office on Reparations. http://bit.ly/2DEdwEE

DR Congo: 50 mass graves discovered

AFP cites a report by the UN Joint Human Rights Office saying that more than 50 mass graves, as well as common and individual graves, have been located in Yumbi in western Mai-Ndombe province in the Democratic Republic of Congo. http://bit.ly/2B5Py3x

Ethiopia to charge suspects over mass graves

The remains of at least 300 people have been discovered in mass graves at four separate locations in Zenabu Tunu state in Ethiopia, Bloomberg reports. The authorities say they have charged at least…

Transitional justice in Nepal

Members of the international community have urged the government of Nepal to make public its plan to take the transitional justice process forward in 2019, the Himalayan reports. The embassies of Australia, Germany, Finland, France, Norway, Switzerland, the UK and the US, and the representatives of the EU and the UN have stressed that “without broad public trust” Nepal will not be able “to bring closure to the wounds and grievances that persist from the conflict era”. http://bit.ly/2Ue62xy

Sudan: lawyers speak out against extrajudicial killings

All Africa reports that a group of senior Sudanese lawyers have presented a memorandum to the Attorney-General demanding that the Sudanese government take immediate steps necessary to prevent extrajudicial killings of protesters. One of the lawyers said the government has faced the protests with excessive violence and allowed the police to disperse them in such a way as to deprive citizens of…

Pakistan urged to address enforced disappearances

The website of GeoTV from Pakistan carries an opinion piece arguing that, “If Pakistan is to stop the practice of enforced disappearances; it must start bringing those responsible . . . to justice. At the minimum, this would require recognizing enforced disappearance as an autonomous offence (and until such time, prosecuting such acts under existing laws); empowering independent institutions like the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) to investigate cases of alleged disappearances, notwithstanding the identity of the perpetrators; ensuring cases of serious human rights violations are only tried by civilian courts, including where members of the security apparatus are allegedly responsible; and as recommended by the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID), enacting “clear rules and dedicated institutions … to ensure the oversight and accountability of law enforcement and intelligence agencies”. https://bit.ly/2Wevvc1

Hundreds of bodies found in mass graves near…