Enforced Disappearance as a Human Rights Violation and An International Crime

Enforced disappearance is a serious human rights violation: it is considered to be a continuous offence, which incorporates a number of other rights violations, under national, regional and international human rights laws. In certain contexts, it can also be classified as a crime against humanity, punishable before the International Criminal Court. In light of the historic and more contemporaneous patterns of enforced disappearances in Mexico, it is essential to understand the legal dimension of such violations in order to be able to address them. The post contains an introduction on the definitions of enforced disappearances under different international and regional treaties.