Desaparecimento forçado e resposta estatal: um estudo de casos sobre as vítimas da ditadura (1970-1975) e as vítimas contemporâneas no Ceará (2014-2024) à luz da memória, verdade, justiça e reparação.

Abstract

Enforced disappearance constitutes one of the most serious and complex human rights violations, characterized by its multiple and continuous nature, whose effects affect not only the direct victim but also their relatives and society as a whole. Traditionally associated with the civil-military dictatorship, this phenomenon has been understood in Brazil as a practice restricted to the authoritarian past. In light of evidence of its persistence in the democratic context, this study aims to comparatively analyze enforced disappearance during the civilmilitary dictatorship and in contemporary Brazil, identifying continuities, ruptures, and persistence, as well as examining the role of the State both as a violator and as a guarantor of victims’ rights. The research adopts a qualitative and comparative methodology, based on documentary analysis and the examination of selected empirical cases, using the axes of transitional justice—memory, truth, justice, and reparation—as its theoretical framework. The results indicate that, despite relevant contextual differences between the periods analyzed, structural elements of enforced disappearance persist, as do obstacles to the integrated realization of victims’ rights. It is concluded that enforced disappearance is not confined to the authoritarian past, remaining a selective and structural violation in contemporary Brazil, which reveals limitations in the State’s capacity to prevent this practice and to effectively guarantee the rights to memory, truth, justice, and reparation.