The Freedom Bus campaign launched on Wednesday, October 11 in London under the slogan “No arrests or forced disappearances in Syria”. The Bus, on which dozens of pictures were placed by activists and families of missing Syrians, will tour across Europe to draw attention to the thousands of detained and missing people in Syria. The Freedom Bus campaigners are also demanding the disclosure of the fate and whereabouts of tens of thousands of people who have been forcibly disappeared or abducted. The initiative aims to remind the world about the most important Syrian issues, which are almost forgotten in the light of political and military developments in recent months.

The Syrian Civic Platform has been following the case of the detainees and the forcibly disappeared since its establishment, and continuously works advocate for the release of the detainees and to reveal the fate of the disappeared persons. It also works with local and international human rights organizations to mobilize support so that the file of detainees and forcibly disappeared persons remains outside the framework of any political negotiation process. The Syrian Civic Platform demands the release of the estimated 215,000 detainees and 85,000 forcibly disappeared since March 2011, according to the Syrian Network for Human Rights.

We, members of the Syrian Civic Platform, raise our voice with the families of detainees and missing persons as well as the Freedom Bus campaigners, and we call for prompt action by local and international organizations and bodies to support the file of deitanees. We also stand with their families and we adopt their demands to exert pressure on the Syrian regime and all Syrian parties to release those detained.

Syrian Civic Platform