The Association of Families Disappeared by the State (AFDS) on Thursday, submitted a memorandum to the office of the vice-chairman of the council of ministers Kirti Nidhi Bista, demanding that the government publicize the status of over 1000 persons ‘disappeared’ at the hands of the state.

The memorandum also asked the government to stop series of involuntary disappearances, publicize the status of disappeared so far, form a probe committee that includes members of civil society and human rights activists, and annul the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Control and Punishment) Ordinance.

Earlier in the day, AFDS members converged at Maitighar Mandala displaying pictures of their disappeared kin. They also chanted slogans against the government.

The AFDS have been collecting signatures for submission at the upcoming UN rights convention in Geneva.

Meanwhile, the AFDS also organized a sit in protest programme in front of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to pressurize the NHRC to find the whereabouts of the disappeared ones. They said that they were compelled to take the move as the NHRC is yet to begin effective on the issue.

Earlier, the AFDS padlocked the NHRC on December 29 to pressurize the NHRC to speed-up search process to find the whereabouts of disappeared people, but later opened it after the officials of the NHRC assured them of full cooperation to find the whereabouts of the disappeared people.