Every year on August 30, the international community commemorates the International Day of Remembrance of Victims of Enforced Disappearances. This day, established by a resolution of the UN General Assembly in 2010, is intended to draw attention to the problem of enforced disappearances and express solidarity with families who have been living in uncertainty for years, without receiving answers about the fate of their loved ones.

Enforced disappearance is defined as the arrest, detention, or abduction of a person by state authorities or with their approval, when the fact of deprivation of liberty is concealed and the person’s location is not disclosed. This is a gross violation of human rights, which is equivalent to a crime against humanity.

The International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, adopted by the UN, clearly states that no war, political instability, or extraordinary circumstances can justify enforced disappearances. Ukraine acceded to the Convention in 2015, confirming its commitment to protecting human rights and the rule of international law.

After the Russian Federation began its temporary occupation of the Crimean peninsula in 2014, enforced disappearances became one of the key tools of terror and suppression of dissent. The occupying authorities use abductions to persecute pro-Ukrainian activists, representatives of the Crimean Tatar people, journalists, and public figures.

According to human rights organizations, since 2014, more than 100 cases of enforced disappearances have been recorded in Crimea, with 21 people still considered missing. There have also been documented cases of torture and extrajudicial executions, with many people being held without contact with their families or lawyers. In particular, there has been an increase in the number of abductions of women: according to the organization “Crimean Process”, at least seven women have disappeared and have not yet returned home.

The first tragic symbol of enforced disappearances in Crimea was pro-Ukrainian activist Reshat Ametov. He was abducted on March 3, 2014, in Simferopol during a solo protest against the occupation. Two weeks later, his body was found with signs of torture. These crimes are systematic and part of a policy of persecution in the occupied territories.

Ukraine consistently documents all cases of enforced disappearances in the temporarily occupied territories and informs international human rights institutions about them. The Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea emphasizes that enforced disappearances are war crimes and crimes against humanity that fall under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court. Ukraine calls for increased international pressure on the Russian Federation to ensure access for humanitarian and human rights missions to the occupied territories and to guarantee the safety of the civilian people.

On August 30, we remember all those who have fallen victim to enforced disappearances in Crimea and other occupied territories of Ukraine. We will continue to fight for truth, freedom, and the return of every Ukrainian home.