Making people “disappear” is a method of intimidation that was already used during the Nazi era in Germany (and in many other right-wing and left-wing dictatorships) to spread fear and terror among the civilian population (see Hitler’s “Night and Fog” decree).
Someone knocks on your door at night, you are taken away, and neither friends, family, nor anyone else knows where you have disappeared to. The uncertainty is more agonizing than any punishment (which you will still face, just not publicly) because your loved ones don’t know if they might actively worsen your situation by taking action.
“Enforced disappearance” has also constituted a crime against humanity since 2002… but who’s surprised there’s no outcry?
Making people “disappear” is a method of intimidation that was already used during the Nazi era in Germany (and in many other right-wing and left-wing dictatorships) to spread fear and terror among the civilian population (see Hitler’s “Night and Fog” decree).
Someone knocks on your door at night, you are taken away, and neither friends, family, nor anyone else knows where you have disappeared to. The uncertainty is more agonizing than any punishment (which you will still face, just not publicly) because your loved ones don’t know if they might actively worsen your situation by taking action.
“Enforced disappearance” has also constituted a crime against humanity since 2002… but who’s surprised there’s no outcry?