Enforced disappearance is among the most terrifying instruments of political repression. An arrest, however unjust, at least creates a record: the prisoner has a name, a location, and, theoretically, access to a court. Enforced disappearance removes all three. The victim is taken outside the protection of law, while the authorities deny knowledge or responsibility. Families are condemned to search police stations, hospitals, prisons, and morgues without knowing whether they should continue hoping or begin mourning.