Photo credit: Abdulwajed Haj Esteifi - The Syria Campaign
Photo credit: Abdulwajed Haj Esteifi - The Syria Campaign
Photo credit: Abdulwajed Haj Esteifi - The Syria Campaign
Photo credit: Abdulwajed Haj Esteifi - The Syria Campaign
Photo credit: Abdulwajed Haj Esteifi - The Syria Campaign
Photo credit: Abdulwajed Haj Esteifi - The Syria Campaign.
Photo credit: Abdulwajed Haj Esteifi - The Syria Campaign
Photo credit: Ali Haj Suleiman - The Syria Campaign
Photo credit: Ali Haj Suleiman - The Syria Campaign
Photo credit: Ali Haj Suleiman - The Syria Campaign
Photo credit: Ali Haj Suliman - The Syria Campaign
Photo credit: Ali Haj Suliman - The Syria Campaign
Photo credit: Ali Haj Suliman - The Syria Campaign
Photo credit: Ali Haj Suliman - The Syria Campaign
Photo credit: Ali Haj Suliman - The Syria Campaign
Photo credit: Ali Haj Suliman - The Syria Campaign
Photo credit: Mohamad Abdullah Artino - The Syria Campaign
Photo credit: Paul Wagner - The Syria Campaign

Demand truth and justice for Syria's disappeared

To the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the UN’s IIMP and IIIM, the international community and interim authorities in Syria:

For years, the Assad regime and other de facto authorities used arbitrary arrest, enforced disappearance and torture to crush dissent in Syria. Families of detainees, survivors and their allies have tirelessly campaigned for justice, despite international failures and indifference.

Now the Assad regime’s detention centers are open but their suffering continues. The fates of at least 112,000 Syrians remain unknown and vital evidence is being neglected or destroyed.

International institutions and the interim authorities of Syria must urgently support a Syrian-led effort, involving families and survivors, to preserve evidence, investigate crimes and hold all perpetrators to account.

Uncovering the fate of tens of thousands of children, men and women who were forcibly disappeared is essential for a peaceful and truly just Syria and to ensure that these atrocities never happen again.

3,625 supporters

Goal: 8,000

Thank you for taking action! The fight for truth and justice for Syria's disappeared cannot wait. Families and survivors urgently need support to uncover the fate of their loved ones and hold perpetrators to account. Every signature strengthens their call for justice. Will you share this petition with your friends and family to help build pressure and demand action?

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The struggle for truth and justice for Syria’s disappeared is far from over

When the Assad regime collapsed in December 2024, its extensive network of detention centers was thrown open. These facilities served as tools of repression, silencing dissent and spreading terror.

Many families didn’t see their loved ones walk free. In fact, the fates of at least 112,000 people who were detained and disappeared in Syria since 2011 remain unknown and at least 15,393 are documented to have died under torture.

Nearly all families in Syria have memories of lost loved ones. Their suffering has been made worse by the severe failures of international organisations and Syria’s interim authorities to support the victims of arbitrary detention since the regime fell. Vital evidence was lost because of lack of political will, delays and neglect — evidence that could have been used to hold perpetrators to account.

For years, survivors of Assad’s torture chambers and families of the missing have courageously shared their stories with the world, speaking out and campaigning for freedom and justice for the disappeared. They have been left alone, yet again, to find answers about their loved ones.

Urgent and meaningful steps are now needed to establish the truth for Syria’s families and to hold those responsible accountable in national and international courts.

Inside Assad’s detention centers, detainees faced systematic torture, sexual violence, starvation, and inhumane conditions, often leading to death. Survivors continue to bear lasting scars, while families live with the anguish of not knowing the fate of their loved ones.

How the interim authorities and international community respond now will determine future justice, civil peace, and rebuilding of Syria. Sign our petition to call for truth, justice, and a Syria free from enforced disappearance.

Our Demands for Truth, Justice and Accountability

Protect Prisons and Detention Sites

Safeguard Mass Graves

Preserve and Archive Records

Take a Victim-Based Approach to Truth, Justice, and Accountability

Collaborate for Truth, Justice, and Accountability

Support families and survivors

Find the Children of Detainees

Stop ongoing violations and never repeat the atrocities

 

Key Information on Arbitrary Detention and Enforced Disappearance in Syria

Syria's detention system has been a central tool of repression used primarily by the Assad regimes, and by other de facto authorities, for over 50 years. These regimes maintained their grip on power through widespread arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and extensive use of torture. Since the onset of the Syrian conflict in 2011, arbitrary detention became one of the regime’s primary tools to repress the population.

Over 112,000 individuals who were forcibly disappeared are still unaccounted for since the fall of the Assad regime, according to the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR). The vast majority of these detentions were carried out by Syrian regime forces.

These abuses have been thoroughly documented by organizations such as SNHR, the United Nations (UN), the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria (IIIM), and the Association of Detainees and the Missing in Sednaya Prison (ADMSP).

Most detainees were held without charge or trial and subjected to brutal torture and violence. Hundreds of thousands of Syrian families are still left in the dark about the fate of their loved ones. These abuses persisted throughout the conflict, with over 2,600 cases of detention documented in 2024 alone.

Conditions in Detention Facilities

International Response and Accountability

Recent Developments

The Voices Behind Our Demands

Families of victims and survivors have emerged as powerful advocates for truth and justice. Many of these individuals have either endured the disappearance or detention of loved ones or survived detention themselves.

They are now at the forefront of efforts to uncover the fate of the missing and hold perpetrators accountable. Their resilience and determination have played a crucial role in bringing international attention to the grave human rights violations that have plagued Syria.

One such initiative is the Truth and Justice Charter, launched in 2021 by five organizations representing survivors and victims’ families. Their charter reflects their collective vision for securing the rights of victims and the pursuit of justice and truth in Syria.

These survivors and families are a powerful peaceful movement, demanding freedom for all of Syria's sons and daughters. They have been at the forefront of campaigns against enforced disappearance and arbitrary detention by all parties to the conflict. Their unwavering commitment has galvanized international solidarity and action.

Through public demonstrations, advocacy, and collaboration with human rights organizations, these families strive to keep the plight of Syria's disappeared and detained in the global conscience. Their stories serve as a testament to the enduring human spirit and the relentless pursuit of justice, even in the face of profound personal loss and adversity.

Impact of Families and Survivors on Justice and Accountability

Families of victims and survivors of Syria’s conflict have played a crucial role in advocating for truth and justice, leading to significant developments on both national and international levels:

Advocacy for the Establishment of the IIMP

Persistent efforts by victims’ families and survivors were instrumental in the United Nations General Assembly's establishment of the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in Syria (IIMP) in June 2023. The IIMP is tasked with determining the fate and whereabouts of all missing persons in Syria and providing support to victims, survivors and their families.

Universal Jurisdiction Cases

Families and survivors have supported groundbreaking legal actions in European countries under universal jurisdiction laws. These cases have resulted in the conviction of former Syrian officials for crimes against humanity, including torture and enforced disappearance. Notably, the Koblenz trial in Germany marked the first conviction of a Syrian official for state-sanctioned torture, setting a precedent for future accountability efforts.

International Court of Justice (ICJ) Cases

Victims’ families have also been central to legal actions at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). In 2023, the Netherlands and Canada jointly filed a case against Syria, accusing the regime of breaching the Convention Against Torture. This ongoing case represents a significant step in pursuing state-level accountability for systematic torture and enforced disappearance under Assad’s rule.

Formation of the Truth and Justice Charter

In 2021, survivors and victims' families associations of the missing united to form the Truth and Justice Charter, a coalition demanding justice, accountability, and a comprehensive response to the crisis of enforced disappearances and detention. This initiative has strengthened collective efforts and amplified the voices of those directly impacted by these crimes, ensuring their experiences and demands remain central to international advocacy.

Through these efforts, families and survivors have transformed personal loss into a powerful movement for accountability, shining a light on Syria’s human rights crisis and driving tangible progress toward justice. Support them.