The first case registered as an enforced disappearance in Colombia and recognized as a repressive method to eliminate political opponents of the regime, dates back to September 9, 1977, with the arrest and disappearance of Omaira Montoya Henao, a 30-year-old bacteriologist, three months pregnant and left-wing militant.

Faced with the pain, anguish and uncertainty of not knowing what was happening with their detained – disappeared loved ones, and faced with the questions of who took them, why were they taken, and above all, where were they, the families of the victims turned to government authorities in the hope of getting answers and with the confidence of the immediate return of their loved ones. On the contrary of what they hopes, they were received with  offensive and sarcastic treatment, which not only questioned the occurrence of the events, but also affected the dignity and reputation of the disappeared, assuming a total denial of the occurrence of this repressive practice in Colombia.

Faced with ruthlessness, nonresponse and denial, the families of the detainees – disappeared persons decided to join forces in the search for their loved ones, organizing themselves as the Association of families of detainees – disappeared persons ASFADDES. On February 4, 1983, they took the streets for the first time armed with the photos and the names of their loved ones written on banners. With the pain drawn-out of their throats, the shouted demanding the appearance, alive, of their loved ones and the trial and punishment of the guilty ones. The families were supported by a group of students who were also affected and were suffering because of the absence of their classmates.

Given the lack of political will of the Colombian State to search, investigate and punish those responsible for these practices, and in the absence of judicial tools recognizing forced disappearance as a crime, ASFADDES, took on the mission of criminalizing   forced disappearance, initiating a path of insistence and persistence to achieve it.

The criminalization of enforced disappearance has been pushed on through hunger strikes, marches, sit-ins and dialogue with congressmen from different government periods. It was a difficult work due to the indifference of the political class before the tragedy suffered by the families of the disappeared persons whose numbers increased every day, and the alarming impunity with regard to the cases that occurred. After twelve years of fight, July 10, 2000 finally witnessed the passing of law 589.

It is certainly important to note that the fight, resistance and persistence of the families to bring truth to light, achieve justice and recover the memory, for more than 25 years, has been the object of accusations, harassment, persecution and threats, trying to silence them and to stop them from their pursuit to destroy the enemies of life, freedom and justice who abducted those who organized themselves to denounce and demand the appearance of their loved ones alive and the punishment of those responsible. Such as what happened to the members of ASFADDES Angel Jose Quintero and Claudia patricia Monsalve, detained – disappeared on October 6, 2000 in the city of Medellín, and to people who have accompanied and supported this fight such as the lawyers Alirio de Jesús Pedraza Becerra who disappeared on July 4, 1990 in Bogotá and Eduardo Umaña Mendoza, murdered on 18 April in Bogotá.