Over 112,000 People Still Forcibly Disappeared in Syria

Demonstrators hold photos of missing people in the Umayyad Square in Damascus on Saturday (AFP)
Demonstrators hold photos of missing people in the Umayyad Square in Damascus on Saturday (AFP)
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Over 112,000 People Still Forcibly Disappeared in Syria

Demonstrators hold photos of missing people in the Umayyad Square in Damascus on Saturday (AFP)
Demonstrators hold photos of missing people in the Umayyad Square in Damascus on Saturday (AFP)

The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) has reported that at least 112,414 people remain forcibly disappeared in Syria, primarily due to crimes committed by the Assad regime, despite the release of thousands of detainees in recent weeks.

Fadel Abdul Ghany, the director of SNHR, told Asharq Al-Awsat that their database implicates 6,724 members of the regime’s forces in these crimes. He also confirmed that SNHR is ready to provide detailed information on key perpetrators within the Assad regime.

The report shed light on the ongoing humanitarian disaster caused by arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances in Syria, even after the opening of regime detention centers and the discovery of several mass graves.

The release of detainees coincided with military operations launched by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) that resulted in the recapture of major cities, including Aleppo, Hama, Homs, and Damascus. In the process, prisons and security facilities were opened, and all detainees were released.

Additionally, mass graves containing the remains of thousands of victims executed extrajudicially were discovered in recent weeks. According to the SNHR report, these findings underscore the systematic nature of crimes committed by the Bashar al-Assad regime.

The SNHR estimates that around 24,200 people have been released since the opening of regime prisons. However, as of August 2024, their database shows a total of 136,614 individuals detained or forcibly disappeared, meaning that over 112,414 people are still unaccounted for.

The report emphasized that these individuals are considered forcibly disappeared because their remains have not been returned to their families, and no information about their fate has been disclosed.

Fadel Abdul Ghany stressed to Asharq Al-Awsat that holding those responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Syria accountable is a “legal and moral imperative” to achieve justice for victims and prevent future violations.

He highlighted that documenting these crimes, a process undertaken by SNHR and other organizations over the past decade, is a critical step toward accountability. SNHR has developed a comprehensive database that includes a list of 16,200 individuals involved in committing these crimes. Among them are 6,724 members of regime forces, including the army and security apparatus, and 9,476 members of pro-regime militias and auxiliary groups formed after the Syrian uprising in 2011.



US to Eventually Reduce Military Bases in Syria to One, Says US Envoy

A US patrol in Qamishli’s countryside in Hasakah on April 20, 2022. (AFP)
A US patrol in Qamishli’s countryside in Hasakah on April 20, 2022. (AFP)
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US to Eventually Reduce Military Bases in Syria to One, Says US Envoy

A US patrol in Qamishli’s countryside in Hasakah on April 20, 2022. (AFP)
A US patrol in Qamishli’s countryside in Hasakah on April 20, 2022. (AFP)

The United States has begun reducing its military presence in Syria with a view to eventually closing all but one of its bases there, the US envoy for the country has said in an interview.

Six months after the ouster of longtime Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad, the United States is steadily drawing down its presence as part of Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), a military task force launched in 2014 to fight the ISIS.

"The reduction of our OIR engagement on a military basis is happening," the US envoy for Syria, Tom Barrack, said in an interview with Türkiye's NTV late on Monday.

"We've gone from eight bases to five to three. We'll eventually go to one."

But he admitted Syria still faced major security challenges under interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose coalition toppled Assad in December.

Assad's ouster brought an end to Syria's bloody 14-year civil war, but the new authorities have struggled to contain recent bouts of sectarian violence.

Barrack, who is also the US ambassador to Turkey, called for the "integration" of the country's ethnic and religious groups.

"It's very tribal still. It's very difficult to bring it together," he said.

But "I think that will happen," he added.

The Pentagon announced in April that the United States would halve its troops in Syria to less than 1,000 in the coming months, saying the ISIS presence had been reduced to "remnants".