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
Prisons, detention centers, and other sites of systematic atrocities must be treated as crime scenes. Take immediate measures to halt any unauthorized access, tampering, or destruction of evidence.
Safeguard Mass Graves
Prohibit unauthorized exhumation, tampering, or photography of mass graves. A coordinated plan involving forensic and expert teams must be developed to ensure these sites are handled properly, preserving dignity and truth.
Preserve and Archive Records
All records from judicial offices, prisons, and intelligence branches related to detainees and the disappeared must be secured and digitized by competent authorities. Survivors and families of the disappeared should have direct access to information related to their loved ones in collaboration with Syrian human rights organizations.
Take a Victim-Based Approach to Truth, Justice, and Accountability
Prioritize the wishes, dignity and experiences of survivors and families, keeping them informed, and involving them in every step of the process.
Collaborate for Truth, Justice, and Accountability
Collaboration is essential between Syrian civil society organizations, families of victims, survivor groups, any authorities in Syria, and international institutions. Such efforts must ensure compliance with national and international legal frameworks and prioritize the needs and rights of victims.
Support families and survivors
Provide much needed support, including medical and mental healthcare, to survivors of detention and torture in Syria so that they are able to rebuild their lives, especially women who face further marginalization in their communities. Families whose sole providers have been forcibly disappeared also need support.
Find the Children of Detainees
Shocking reports following the fall of the regime have revealed the involvement of orphanages in hiding the children of detainees, changing their names and family records. The children of detainees must be found, supported and reunited with their relatives. Staff of these institutions must be held accountable for these horrific crimes.
Stop ongoing violations and never repeat the atrocities
Following Assad’s fall, security forces under current authorities have already committed arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and torture, leading to deaths in detention. Syria’s new constitution must include clear protections against crimes against humanity, enforced disappearance and torture.
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
According to the IIIM, detainees faced inhuman treatment by authorities in over 100 government-controlled facilities. The infamous Caesar Photographs, smuggled out of Syria and exposed in 2015, depict over 6,000 detainees who died under torture. These conditions have been recognized as crimes against humanity by international bodies and courts.
International Response and Accountability
In response to the ongoing crisis of missing persons in Syria, the United Nations General Assembly established the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in Syria (IIMP) in 2023, following tireless efforts by families and survivor groups. The IIMP is mandated to clarify the fate and whereabouts of all missing persons in Syria and to provide adequate support to victims, including survivors and families of the missing.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is also mandated to address the humanitarian crisis in detention centers, and has registered 35,000 cases of missing persons in Syria over the past 13 years. The ICRC offers services to visit detention facilities internationally and says it works to ensure the humane treatment of detainees, aiming to prevent further disappearances. However they say they were denied access while the Assad regime committed its atrocities.
Additionally, the United Nations' International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM) has been working to investigate and prosecute serious crimes committed in Syria, including enforced disappearances.
Despite these initiatives, the international response after the fall of the Assad regime has been inadequate and slow. Advocacy efforts by victims’ families and survivor-led initiatives continue to drive global demands for truth and justice. You can support them by joining this campaign.
Recent Developments
Families associations, the White Helmets rescue volunteers, and human rights organizations have reported finding mass graves and extensive documentation of the crimes committed within Assad’s gulags. This is all crucial evidence for future accountability efforts, but in a devastating failure, it is already being stolen or destroyed.
Despite the precious and joyful release of some detainees, the journey toward uncovering the fate of tens of thousands of missing people, and holding the perpetrators of these crimes against humanity to account, remains a major challenge for the new Syria.
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.