The United Nations marks 30 August as the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances. This is a day where we honour the victims, raise awareness about this heinous violation of human rights and speak out against oppressive Governments who use this tactic against their citizens.

30 August is particularly significant for the women at Families for Palestine, as they carry the memories and pain of their loved ones who have disappeared.

We want to share their stories with you to honour their memory and our families’ sufferings and resilience.

*Trigger Warning: References to Violence and Death”

Paz – maternal uncles forcibly disappeared during the repressive Pinochet dictatorship. During this period, many were apprehended by the regime and unjustly imprisoned, disappeared or killed. Others were stripped of their citizenship and forced to live in exile. One of Paz’s uncles survived concentration camps but spent most of his life in exile in Canada. The other uncle was run over by a military tank all because he went looking for his brother.

Tamara – paternal uncle kidnapped under the Saddam Regime, and years later, he was uncovered in a mass grave and identified by the remains of the pyjama and watch he was wearing at the time he was taken. Saddam Hussein used violence, killing, torture, execution, arbitrary arrest, unlawful detention, enforced disappearance, and various forms of repression to control the population. 

Alba – the maternal great-grandfather, was taken by the Spanish dictatorship. He was targeted for being a teacher and a republican. No one ever heard from him again, and his body was never found. Spain has the highest number of forced disappearances in the world after Cambodia. Francisco Franco established a nationalist regime characterised by repressive policies, censorship, and the suppression of political dissent. The forced disappearances were the military junta’s attempt to silence the opposition and break the determination of the guerrillas.

Larissa – maternal grandfather was forcibly taken during Mao Zedong’s dictatorship in China during the Cultural Revolution. Perceived as an enemy of the state, he spent about 20 years in various labour camps. It took him over 27 years to reunite with his family. Zedong used enforced disappearances as a tool of political repression. The Cultural Revolution was marked by widespread purges, with many perceived enemies of the state, including intellectuals, political rivals, and ordinary citizens, being arrested, tortured, or disappeared.

These stories are strikingly similar despite unfolding across South America, the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. Our lives are deeply intertwined through our family histories and shared struggles.

This shared experience may be why we’ve united in solidarity and the fight for Palestinian liberation. By advocating for justice for Palestine, we honour our loved ones who have suffered greatly at the hands of their governments. Our pursuit of humanity, liberation, and justice is all interconnected.