Forced disappearance

A forced disappearance occurs when an organization (usually a ruling government, and usually one that is a police state or dictatorship) forces a person to disappear from public view. This is often achieved through murder or assassination, although in some cases a victim may simply be incarcerated without publicity.

Related Topics:
Police state - Dictatorship - Murder - Assassination

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Typically, a murder will be surreptitious, with the body disposed of in such a way as to never be found. The person simply vanishes. The party committing the murder has deniability, as there is no dead body to show that the victim is actually dead. Furthermore, the perpetrators of disappearance often go to great lengths to obscure or eliminate all mention of the disappeared, by altering the historical record and encouraging the silence of surviving relatives.

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Disappearance serves two functions. Firstly, it silences the disappeared. Secondly, it helps to ensure the silence of those who have not yet been disappeared.

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