30 August 2026

30 August – International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances

Every year on 30 August, the international community marks the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances. This day was established to draw attention to the fate of people who have been illegally deprived of their liberty and whose whereabouts are concealed, as well as to the plight of their families, who may spend months or years without knowing what has happened to their loved ones.

An enforced disappearance is an arrest, detention, abduction or any other form of deprivation of liberty carried out by representatives of a state, or by persons acting with the authorisation, support or acquiescence of the state, followed by a refusal to acknowledge the deprivation of liberty or by concealment of the whereabouts of the disappeared person.

Since the beginning of the temporary occupation of the Crimean Peninsula by the Russian Federation in 2014, enforced disappearances have become one of the tools used to persecute and intimidate civilians and suppress resistance. Initially, the main targets were pro-Ukrainian activists, journalists, human rights defenders and representatives of the Crimean Tatar people. Over time, the range of victims has expanded significantly: people are also persecuted because of their links to the government-controlled territory of Ukraine, their refusal to cooperate with the occupation administration, or other manifestations of a pro-Ukrainian position.

According to the Crimean Process non-governmental organisation, at least 125 cases of enforced disappearance were documented in the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea between 2014 and 2026. In 39 cases, the fate of the victims remains unknown. Since 2023, 62 people have been subjected to enforced disappearance involving prolonged deprivation of liberty, while at least 24 of them remain without any legal status and are held in complete isolation.

Human rights defenders emphasise that these are not isolated incidents but a systematic practice. Following abduction, a person may be held incommunicado, without access to a lawyer, medical care or contact with their family. Torture and psychological pressure have also been documented. Subsequently, the unlawful deprivation of liberty is often formally “legalised” through criminal charges, while the preceding period of actual detention is not acknowledged. Research conducted by human rights organisations identifies the federal security service (FSB) of the Russian Federation as playing a key role in carrying out and coordinating such actions.

One of the most prominent examples remains the abduction of Crimean Tatar activist Ervin Ibragimov. On 24 May 2016, he was abducted near Bakhchysarai. The incident was captured by a CCTV camera. Ten years after his abduction, his fate and whereabouts remain unknown.

Enforced disappearance causes lasting harm not only to the direct victim but also to their loved ones. Families may spend years without any reliable information about the whereabouts or condition of their relatives, searching for information themselves, contacting state authorities, human rights organisations and international institutions, while at the same time being subjected to additional pressure and psychological traumatisation.

The International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance establishes an absolute prohibition of this practice: no exceptional circumstances whatsoever, including a state of war, may justify enforced disappearance. Ukraine acceded to the Convention in 2015. Under the conditions defined by international law, the widespread or systematic practice of enforced disappearance constitutes a crime against humanity.

The Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea emphasises that the russian federation, as the occupying power, must cease the practice of enforced disappearances and the unlawful deprivation of liberty of civilians; provide full information on their fate, whereabouts, health condition and legal status; ensure access to lawyers, medical care and contact with their families; and grant international monitoring mechanisms unhindered access to places of detention.

On the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, we remember every person whom the Russian occupation has deprived of liberty and the right to be heard. The fate of every person must be disclosed, those unlawfully deprived of their liberty must be released, and those responsible for these crimes must be held accountable.