Human Rights Protection Entails Government Investigation of Forced Disappearances, says Kobia
The need for a strict protection of Human Rights in Uruguay was the central focus of Dr. Samuel Kobia’s message to the nation’s authorities, during his Nov. 17-18 visit.
"Knowing the truth about human rights violations is one of the essential elements to come to terms with the past and establish the foundation for a possible reconciliation," said Kobia, the General Secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), when he met with vice president-elect senator Rodolfo Nin Novoa and with municipal mayor of Montevideo Mariano Arana Sanchez.
Specifically, Kobia referred to the critical need to implement the necessary measure to enact the Expiry Law of the Punitive Powers of the State – the polity that mandates the executive branch to investigate what happened to the disappeared. He challenged the officials to take to heart the pleas of the mother and relatives of detained-disappeared Uruguayans.
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According to the WCC, both Nin Novoa and Arana Sanchez “agreed that families have a right to know the fate of their loved ones,” and “voiced the willingness of the new government, which will take office March 1, 2005, to enact the legal disposition although they recognized that it will not be an easy task.”
Prior to his meeting with the officials, Kobia spent time with the Mothers and Relatives of the disappeared Uruguayans. During the meeting, Kobia explained that the WCC is committed to lobbying for truth and justice. He said the WCC would also support the work of the United Nations to define a Convention on forced “disappearances.”
Kobia also spent time meeting with representatives from WCC member churches and from other churches and faith communities, as well as ecumenical organizations. In Montevideo, the WCC general secretary participated in an ecumenical celebration at the Methodist Church and offered the sermon.
The Uruguay visit was part of Kobia’s first trip to Latin America since his appointment as General Secretary.
