Chapter 1: A Few Essential Concepts
Cases of Deprivation of Liberty and Related Violations
Two types of cases of deprivation of liberty were documented: kidnapping and forced disappearances. In these cases the victim is held, against his or her will and without a legal basis, for an indefinite period of time. In the Guatemalan case during the period of this study, the majority of kidnappings were followed by the murder or disappearance of the victim. Attempted, failed abductions, or those in which the victims were released, were also documented.
In the case of kidnapping, victims are abducted by force and, as a rule, the perpetrators neither identify themselves nor can be identified. This is a form of clandestine terror and consequently one of it main characteristics is that the perpetrators conceal their identity (often they are in "civilian dress" or use disguises, caps, etc.; the vehicles used usually do not have license plates).
Although these cases are related to detention, they are distinguished by the fact that the victims literally disappear, often without a trace. They include the possibility of kidnapping, capture, or death. The disappeared person commonly was last seen at a specific location and subsequently his or her whereabouts were never discovered. The act of "disappearing" someone involves indefinitely prolonging the suffering of those closest to the victim, including the family, organization, or social group. Occasionally there are signs that something occurred: for example, an empty house, where it was known that a person was staying, with signs of having been searched -- the door broken down. All indications would point to the person having been kidnapped but, since there are no eyewitnesses or information about the incident, the case is classified as a disappearance.
Politically-motivated torture consists of inflicting pain on a person in a premeditated and systematic manner using diverse methods including: blows, burns, mutilation, suspension in the air, asphyxiation, etc. The apparent motive is to obtain information or confessions, whether they are true or not. The harm caused to the victim may be physical and/or mental, with unpredictable consequences.