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Damascus – September 11, 2025
The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) hosted a meeting with the National Commission for Missing Persons (NCMP) at its headquarters in Damascus today. The meeting was attended by Mr. Fadel Abdulghany, SNHR Director, Dr. Reda Jalkhi, the Commission’s Chairman, and members of the two organizations’ executive teams.
The meeting addressed the issue of missing and forcibly disappeared persons in Syria, one of the most pressing and complex issues in the Syrian human rights landscape. During the meeting, Mr. Abdulghany reviewed the SNHR’s comprehensive database, which has documented nearly 177,000 cases of enforced disappearance since March 2011. He emphasized the importance of utilizing this updated data, classified according to international standards, in the NCMP’s work, including truth-telling, accountability, and memorialization.
For his part, the Chairman of the NCMP gave a presentation on the national strategy for searching for missing persons, including the development of information gathering mechanisms, the formation of specialized search and investigation teams, and psychological and social support programs for the families of missing persons.
The participants emphasized the need to work in accordance with the international legal framework, particularly the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance and the United Nations Guidelines on the Search for Missing Persons. They also emphasized the importance of ensuring families’ right to know the truth, a right that is imprescriptible under international humanitarian law and international human rights law.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights emphasizes the importance of supporting the efforts of the National Commission for Missing Persons in the best interests of victims and their families. It also reiterates that the missing persons file represents a priority in Syria’s path toward stability and justice.
