This study analyzes the treatment given by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights on the practice of enforced disappearance of persons, and its relation with the process opening and consolidation of democracies in Latin America. To get in such a discussion, initially deals with the configuration and operation of the Inter-American System of Human Rights Protection, with emphasis on the jurisdictional body: the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, in order to understand the role of this body in the protection against Human Rights violations in the States Parties of the American Convention on Human Rights. After that, the study focuses on the phenomenon of enforced disappearance in Latin America, analyzing its role within the dictatorships, the challenges faced in the transition phase to the democracy - such as guaranteeing the right to truth and the amnesty laws – and, finally, the current challenges around the theme of disappearances in the consolidation of new democracies. After the analysis of these two aspects, the dissertation discusses the jurisprudence of the Inter-American Court on enforced disappearance of persons, revealing the Court’s different forms of approach, according to the challenges identified in three phases: dictatorship, transition to democracy and consolidation of democracy.
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