IACHR Urges States to Overcome the Denialism That Hinders Effective State Responses to Enforced Disappearances

August 30, 2024

Washington, D.C. - On the occasion of the International Day of Victims of Enforced Disappearance, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) urged States to reject relativistic or denialist stances regarding contexts in which serious human rights violations have been perpetrated. Such stances conflict with international human rights law, which obligates States to guarantee truth, preserve historical memory, dignify victims, clarify the fate of disappeared persons, investigate and punish those responsible, and ensure full reparation for victims and their families.

The IACHR has observed a growing trend in various countries in the region where public discourse and policies deny or justify recent human rights violations. In some cases, these narratives challenge the number and nature of victims of serious human rights violations, such as enforced disappearances, in order to minimize the scale and impact of the violence. In others, there is denialism around the existence of dictatorships or internal armed conflicts and the State's obligations to victims of crimes committed in these contexts.

In addition, there has been an increase in public expressions of support for individuals responsible for gross human rights violations, many of whom are former State agents serving convictions. Such attitudes legitimize and justify their actions. They also revictimize victims and their families in a manner that is particularly harmful in cases of forced disappearance, given the ongoing, open-ended nature of this crime and the uncertainty surrounding the fate or whereabouts of the missing loved ones.

Denialism also leads to societal uncertainty about the past, encouraging or tolerating narratives or actions on the part of certain social sectors that may lead to new human rights violations. These undermine the State's obligations to prevent and respond to serious human rights violations through comprehensive public policies.

The IACHR emphasized that States must adopt a holistic approach to memory, coordinating public policies in this area with justice and accountability processes, including the search for truth, reparations, and guarantees of nonrepetition.

Effective State responses to enforced disappearances must be grounded in an acknowledgment of the events and the State's responsibility for them. Public policies should preserve memory through the creation of public archives, places of remembrance, and initiatives that honor the dignity of victims and raise awareness around historical memory and preserve it. Such initiatives include incorporating historical memory into school curricula and promoting a culture of human rights and democracy to prevent the recurrence of such events.

The IACHR called on States to condemn narratives that challenge the importance of human rights and democratic values among public officials. Comprehensive reparations and measures to prevent enforced disappearance need to be implemented to support the collective condemnation of such grave human rights violations and increase society's commitment to ensuring such events are never repeated.

The IACHR is a principal and autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS), whose mandate stems from the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. The Inter-American Commission has the mandate to promote the observance and defense of human rights in the region and acts as an advisory body to the OAS on the matter. The IACHR is made up of seven independent members who are elected by the OAS General Assembly in their personal capacity, and do not represent their countries of origin or residence.

No. 200/24

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