Euro Mediterranean Federation against Enforced Disappearances accepts 20 new members
At its general assembly on December 14th, the Euro Mediterranean Federation against Enforced Disappearances (FEMED) accepted the application of 16 new members from different countries (a.o.: Spain, Syria, BiH, Iraq, Turkey). These new memberships pave the road for more intensive regional cooperation of families of disappeared persons around the Mediterranean.
Demonstration against disappearances, Baghdad 2008
In many countries in this region, enforced disappearances are part of a past involving autoritarian regimes or violent conflicts. Even today, in some of these countries persons are at risk to disappear following their arrest.
FEMED was founded in 2007 by a core group of four organisations working on truth, justice and redress and to stop new disappearances. Aim for human rights facilitated the start of FEMED by organising joint meetings for the core group and by sharing experiences from other regional federations against enforced disappearances across the world, such as FEDEFAM in Latin America.
FEMED has turned itself into a strong pressure factor in the region. The federation is still facing many challenges, but this step gives hope for stronger civil society responses against disappearances in the whole region
