This chapter analyses the phenomenon of enforced disappearance and explores the main legal provisions that it violates, including the right to life and right not to be tortured.
It briefly describes how international humanitarian law understands this occurrence as stated under the Fourth Geneva Convention and then describes subsequent treaties’ definition of it. It also discusses the nature of enforced disappearance by investigating the Bleier v. Uruguay case presented before the UN Human Rights Committee and other similar incidents. In addition, it looks into the events that led to the establishment of the UN Working Group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances as a result of these notable occurrences.
by Nigel Rodley and Matt Pollard
