The abduction of an individual by state agents and a refusal to disclose their whereabouts constitutes a human rights violation. This is called enforced disappearance, a tool that governments can use to provoke fear and intimidation as a method of control. Enforced disappearances have long been used as a way to diminish political resistance. The lack of information that families and communities receive regarding the disappeared person's fate also prevents them from seeking accountability, as justice becomes too difficult to achieve without understanding which crimes have been committed.
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