International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances

The central square of the city was filled with hundreds of sheets with color photographs and names of people Above each photo there is a headline in large font: “Missing”, “Victim of Disappearance”, “Disappeared under Violent Circumstances” Similar actions are organized by local authorities and relatives of the disappeared in many countries around the world on August 30th This date was named by the UN as the International Day of Enforced Disappearances The culmination of the tragedy of mass disappearances of people occurred in the 70-90s of the last century Basically, the actions took place against the backdrop of dictatorial regimes in Latin American states Tens of thousands of undesirables were subjected to official arrests, and then were never seen among the living or the dead At the same time, lawyers and relatives who wanted to know the fate of a loved one were intimidated Events took place both during military coups and conflicts, and in relatively calm peacetime The lawlessness of dictators and authorities remained unpunished But the criminal actions of the state elite were still condemned As a countermeasure, protests and normative documents condemning the phenomenon of involuntary disappearance followed: - the UN declaration of 1992; - the Inter-American Convention of Latin America of 1994; - the resolution of the UN General Assembly of 2010, where the date of the penultimate day of summer was announced The international community opposes these lawless actions, noting that they are not compatible with civilized social norms But, unfortunately, the phenomenon of forced disappearances is still relevant today; experts talk about 53 thousand cases per year Even more regrettable is the fact of such illegal actions on the territory of the former CIS countries Famous personalities, journalists, and media workers are disappearing, posing a threat to high-ranking officials with their love of truth and desire to convey the truth Often the disappearance of unwanted individuals is justified by state or political interests, forgetting about human rights to personal freedom and security The UN reminds that only joint activities can resist negative processes and lead to success