Disappearing Act - Disact

⏰ Few days left!
Join us at the Πανεπιστήμιο Κύπρου | University Of Cyprus on 3 November, 18:00–20:00 for a public debate on legal activism in divided societies with Achilleas Demetriades and Prof. Kieran McEvoy, moderated by Prof. Natasa Mavronicola.
📍 Leventis Building, Room B108 (New Campus)

This debate takes place in the context of DISACT’s interdisciplinary workshop on Enforced Disappearances (3–4 Nov 2025).
Want a broader perspective on missing people in the context of political violence? Join us for insights from forensics, history, politics, law, and art.

💡 Participation is free; registration required for catering (deadline: 30/10/2025).
🗣️ Event in English • Q&A included

👉 Limited seats - Register here: https://lnkd.in/dXPAEFW3
👉 See the full workshop program here: https://lnkd.in/dW2RXfmH

🧠 Exploring ERC Funding Opportunities
Join us for a special session with Benjamin Pelletier, European Research Council (ERC) Scientific Officer, at the Πανεπιστήμιο Κύπρου | University Of Cyprus.

🔍 What to Expect
Overview of the ERC
Recent developments and updates
Challenging common misconceptions about ERC funding
Practical advice for applicants

🎙 Speakers
Benjamin Pelletier, ERC Scientific Officer (25′)
ERC priorities, processes, and what makes a strong proposal.

ERC Grantees / Principal Investigators (30′)
Prof. Neophytos Loizides, Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Warwick
Prof. Gerasimos Tsourapas, Department of Political Science and International Studies, University of Birmingham
Prof. Melanie Klinkner, Department of Humanities & Law, Bournemouth University
Dr. Iosif Kovras, Department of Social and Political Sciences (Τμήμα Κοινωνικών και Πολιτικών Επιστημών, Παν. Κύπρου), University of Cyprus
First-hand experiences and lessons learned from ERC grantees.

UCY Research & Innovation Support Service (RISS) (5′)
Christina Delaporta & Katerina Karakasidou
Support available to UCY applicants during proposal preparation, with signposts to further resources.

📅 Logistics
Date: 4 November 2025
Time: 14:30–15:30
Venue: University of Cyprus Library-Stelios Ioannou Learning Resource Center (ROOM LRC014)

Audience: Open to all researchers interested in applying for ERC funding
Admission: Free — registration required for catering
👉 Register here: https://lnkd.in/dFUdTqva
⚠️ Capacity note: Places are limited. If registrations exceed capacity, selection may be required (priority to research staff and prospective ERC applicants).
🧩 Organised by: DISACT — in collaboration with the European Research Council (ERC) and the Research & Innovation Support Service (RISS), University of Cyprus.

Funding acknowledgement:
DISACT is funded by the European Research Council (ERC) under the EU’s Horizon Europe programme (Grant Agreement No. 101086935). Please acknowledge ERC support in any reposts.
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✨ Yesterday, October 2, the world honoured Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday and marked the International Day of Non-Violence.

True non-violence means more than avoiding physical harm. It also requires addressing structural violence, exposing hidden mechanisms of repression, and preventing cycles of harm from recurring.

Enforced disappearances are one of the most insidious forms of violence—against victims, families, and entire communities. They thrive on ambiguity and silence, leaving deep fractures that endure for generations.

Through the ERC-funded DISACT project, we are mapping how disappearances are used as instruments of power across different contexts, from colonial to post-conflict settings. By consolidating fragmented data with innovative tools, we work toward strengthening justice and ensuring these silences are not forgotten.

Let’s carry forward ’s legacy—not just for a day, but every day. ✊

📍 | Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (PRIF)

On 15–16 September 2025, DISACT team member Nikandros Ioannidis (Cyprus University of Technology / Τεχνολογικό Πανεπιστήμιο Κύπρου) took part in the workshop “Humanitarian Military Interventions and Peacekeeping Under Fire,” organised by the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (PRIF) and supported by the German Foundation for Peace Research.

He presented a co-authored paper with Iosif Kovras (Πανεπιστήμιο Κύπρου | University Of Cyprus):
✨ Shifting Shadows: The Impact of International Accountability on Repertoires of Violence in Conflict Zones

The research examined how international accountability mechanisms — especially UN peacekeeping operations — shape the tactical choices of violent actors. Findings show that while rebels reduce clandestine violence in areas with strong UN presence, militias increase it, shifting violence into less visible forms such as abductions and enforced disappearances.

👏 A big thank you to PRIF for hosting such an inspiring event that fostered comparative discussions on humanitarian interventions, R2P missions, and peacekeeping operations.

📍 Thessaloniki |
At the ECPR General Conference 2025, hosted at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Αριστοτέλειο Πανεπιστήμιο Θεσσαλονίκης) , DISACT team member Nikandros Ioannidis presented two papers drawing from our project at the Πανεπιστήμιο Κύπρου | University Of Cyprus:

🔹 A Practical Guide on What Not to Write on the Internet (if you are a dissident of an authoritarian regime)
🔹 The Contemporary Aspect of the Crime of Enforced Disappearances

Nikandros’ contributions highlighted DISACT’s work on digital repression and transitional justice, while also addressing the ongoing relevance of enforced disappearances in contemporary international law and practice.

👏 Congratulations to Nikandros for two thought-provoking presentations and the valuable feedback received!

🌍✨ Yesterday was the International Day of Peace.

But for many communities around the world, peace remains fragile — and one of the reasons is the ongoing crime of enforced disappearance. Families are left without answers. Communities are divided. Trust in institutions is shattered. These wounds do not fade — they often fuel further violence.

Our ERC-funded project DISACT (Disappearing Act) studies how disappearances are used as a political tool and how they shape societies long after the fact. Only by acknowledging these hidden crimes can we move toward justice, reconciliation, and real peace.

✊ Beyond Peace Day, we stand with all those searching for truth.

📍 Madrid |

On June 26, members of the DISACT team — Christos Christodoulou and Nikandros Ioannidis — presented at the 15th Annual Conference of the European Political Science Association.

They shared key findings from two important studies:
📝 “A Practical Guide on What Not to Write on the Internet (If You Are a Dissident of an Authoritarian Regime)”
🕯️ “The Contemporary Aspect of Enforced Disappearances”
Both co-authored with Iosif Kovras and Costas Tziouvas.

We’re proud to contribute to global discussions on repression, political violence, and transitional justice.

📢 Stay tuned — more research highlights coming soon!

🔷 Algeria’s Independence and the Legacy of Disappearances

🗓️ 5 July 2025
63 years since Algerian independence
In 1962, Algeria officially won its freedom from French colonial rule. Across the country, people celebrated what many saw as a new beginning — a moment filled with hope and promise. Historian Malika Rahal described Algeria then as “the country of the future.”
But behind the celebrations, a darker reality was unfolding.
As independence was declared, thousands of people — especially Harkis (Algerians who had fought for France) and members of the settler population — were targeted. Many were killed or forcibly disappeared in acts of post-war retribution.
Yet the practice of disappearances was not new. It had been used since the beginning of the war in 1954 — particularly by French forces. Suspected FLN members and sympathisers were often arrested, tortured, and executed. These killings were frequently reported as “escapees shot” — a legal euphemism designed to bypass trials and accountability.
The most notorious example was the Battle of Algiers, led by the French 10th Parachute Division. Around 3,000 Algerians disappeared, and thousands more were tortured.
Disappearances were a tool of war — meant to silence and terrorize.

🕯️ For many families, the Algerian War has never ended.
Its last victims are those still searching.
✍️ Text by Cian Cooney

It was a pleasure to share the panel at British International Studies Association 2025 with Melanie Klinkner, Ellen Donovan, and Emily Fisher from: MaGPIE: Mass Grave Protection, Investigation and Engagement, alongside our own team members Iosif Kovras Kovras and Nikandros Ioannidis.

We reflected on enforced disappearances, and mass graves disturbances.

🔗 To learn more:

British International Studies Association – Panel with DISACT Melanie Klinkner, Ellen Donovan, Emily Fisher (MaGPIE), Iosif Kovras, Nikandros Ioannidis, Maria Mikellide and Marisol Intriago Leiva (DISACT)   In September 2024 MaGPIE received an email from Iosif Kovras asking if we would be interested in forming a joint panel at the British International Studie...

🚨 We’ve just launched our official website and social media pages!

Are you interested in issues around missing people, enforced disappearances, and transitional justice?

Then follow DISACT — a research project working to raise awareness and deepen understanding of one of the most pressing human rights challenges of our time.

👉Website: https://disacterc.com/
👉X: https://x.com/disact_erc
👉LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/disact-disappearing-act/

Help us spread the word by sharing!

DISACT - Disappearing Act | LinkedIn DISACT - Disappearing Act | Research project investigating enforced disappearances in contexts of political violence.

📍 Belfast |

From 18 to 20 June 2025, members of the DISACT team participated in the 50th Annual Conference of the British International Studies Association (BISA), held at the Europa Hotel in Belfast.

Ioannidis and Kovras presented their research titled “The Afterlife of Violence: Strategic Exhumations in Post-Conflict Settings”, co-authored with Intriago Leiva and Mikelide.

Their work explores how the exhumation and reburial of victims' remains can serve not only as acts of justice but also as strategies that shape memory, political narratives, and reconciliation efforts in post-conflict societies.

Find out more by reading the article 👇
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0962629824001562