Twenty-one non-governmental organisations have launched a petition calling on the Swiss government to sign the United Nations Convention on Forced Disappearances.

The convention, adopted more than two years ago, has not come into force because 20 countries have not ratified it, notes the Action by Christians against Torture in a communiqué.

The move was made on Sunday on the International Day of the Disappeared, an annual commemoration day created to draw attention to the fate of individuals imprisoned at places and under poor conditions unknown to their relatives and/or legal representatives.

Two years ago, NGOs criticised Bern for failing to sign the global treaty.

They said the government's decision not to attend the official signing ceremony in Paris could not be justified and smacked of a lack of political will.

swissinfo.ch and agencies

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative