{"id":193843,"date":"2022-02-28T18:13:09","date_gmt":"2022-02-28T16:13:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scm.bz?p=193843"},"modified":"2023-05-30T14:06:04","modified_gmt":"2023-05-30T12:06:04","slug":"new-guide-explores-realities-facing-syrias-disappeared-arbitrarily-detained-and-their-families","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scm.bz\/en\/new-guide-explores-realities-facing-syrias-disappeared-arbitrarily-detained-and-their-families\/","title":{"rendered":"New Guide Explores Realities Facing Syria\u2019s Disappeared, \u00a0Arbitrarily Detained, and Their Families"},"content":{"rendered":"

New York, February 28, 2022 <\/b>\u2014\u201cThere can be no peace in Syria until the rights of the wrongfully detained, disappeared, and their families are fully restored,\u201d warns a new publication released today by the Bridges of Truth, a collaborative of eight Syrian civil society organizations and ICTJ. <\/span>A Guide to the Untold Darkness: The Realities of Syria\u2019s Disappeared, Arbitrarily Detained, and Their Families<\/span><\/i> is the latest product from the Bridges of Truth, which for four years has been raising awareness about the plight of Syrian victims, promoting their rights, and advancing justice for the crimes they experienced.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Bridges of Truth team originally intended the guide to be used by families of the disappeared, abducted, and detained in Syria to help them navigate their search for their loved ones and life more generally. \u201cThe more the team considered the myriad issues and spoke to those affected, the clearer it became that the situation is so dire for families that there are few viable avenues they can pursue that do not involve risky activities like bribing officials or paying questionable actors that could make them vulnerable to exploitation or worse,\u201d explains Nousha Kabawat, Head of ICTJ\u2019s Syria program.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The guide instead takes readers on a journey all too familiar to many Syrians, from the immediate aftermath of a loved one\u2019s disappearance\u2014and the frantic search for answers\u2014through the painful process of settling the disappeared person\u2019s affairs. Based on interviews and focus group discussions with 28 victims (and previous testimonies of 13 others), each section examines a different topic from the perspective of individual victims and their families, and closes with recommendations directed at the Syrian regime, though fully aware it has so far demonstrated little interest in protecting its people, upholding human rights, respecting its obligations under international law. The guide also provides recommendations for how other actors can assist victims and their families in their search for truth, justice, and repair.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Today, tens of thousands of people remain in incommunicado detention in Syria\u2019s many prisons and in makeshift facilities operated by regime allies or non-state armed groups. \u201cThe widespread and systematic nature of these violations must be understood for what it really is: the Syrian regime\u2019s total and blatant disregard for its people and their basic rights, including the right to life, a fair trial, and freedom from torture,\u201d stresses Nour El Bejjani Noureddine, Head of ICTJ\u2019s Lebanon program and expert on Syria.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf the families of the disappeared, abducted, and detained are to regain even a semblance of normalcy in their lives,\u201d the guide concludes, \u201cchanges will need to be made to the legal, economic, social, and cultural frameworks to address the many burdens families face not only in Syria, but also abroad.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Civil society organizations and others who routinely assist these families as they try to rebuild their lives cannot and should not shoulder this responsibility alone. Policymakers and leaders in international bodies, legislative chambers, and state and religious institutions all have a role to play, especially those who write the regulations related to obtaining death certificates, transferring property titles, and other legal and bureaucratic tasks with which families often grapple.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe guide accurately describes the many and seemingly insurmountable challenges families of the disappeared and arbitrarily detained confront,\u201d says Abbas Moussa of The Day After, a Bridges of Truth partner organization. \u201cAt the same, it offers useful guidance and practical recommendations for Syrian and international stakeholders. <\/span><\/p>\n

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To view the full report, download the PDF below:<\/p>\n\n\n