Today is the International Day of the Disappeared. It began with the 18 December 1992 UN resolution 47/133 which recognized the human rights abuse of "enforced disappearances". It is recognized by Amnesty International, The International Committee of the Red Cross, and The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights as a day to bring attention to "enforced disappearances".
"Enforced disappearances" are the secret abduction and imprisonment of individuals by governemnts or their private agents. Such people are generally political dissidents, journalists, human rights advocates, etc. They are abducted, held, tortured, imprisoned, and even executed-- completely off book. Families and communities are offered no information about the disappeared. The abducted individuals are provided no counsel or due process.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has documented some +46K cases of enforced disappearance. It is thought that enforced disappearance and secret imprisonment is practiced in about 30 countries.
