The Syrian Network for Human Rights documented at least 181,677 people, including 5,352 children and 9,213 women, as either actually detained, forcibly disappeared, or still of unknown fate or whereabouts with parties to the conflict in Syria from March 2011 to June 2026.
According to the network, the number of forcibly disappeared people, excluding detainees and those of unknown fate, reached at least 177,021 people, including 4,536 children and 8,984 women.
The network said it documented the deaths of at least 45,364 people due to torture or harsh or inhuman detention conditions during the same period, including 231 children and 116 women.
It noted that 45,038 victims died inside detention centers affiliated with the former regime, nearly 99% of the total, while 326 cases were distributed among the other parties to the conflict, according to the classification adopted in the network’s database.
Grave Violations
The Syrian Network said acts of torture, cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment, death in detention, and enforced disappearance constitute grave violations of the Syrian state’s obligations under international human rights law.
It added that these acts violate the Convention against Torture, which Syria joined on August 19, 2004, and which entered into force for Syria on September 18, 2004. They also violate the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Syria joined on April 21, 1969, and which entered into force for Syria on March 23, 1976.
Syria’s failure to join the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance does not cancel rights protected under existing treaty obligations, particularly the right to life, the right to liberty and personal security, the prohibition of torture and ill treatment, the right to recognition as a person before the law, and the right to an effective remedy.
The network said the Syrian state’s international obligations, including the duty to investigate allegations of torture under Article 12 of the Convention against Torture, remain valid and continuing under the principle of the continuity of the state’s international legal personality, regardless of changes in government.
It called for adopting a comprehensive approach to address the legacy of torture in Syria, based on revealing the truth, accountability, reparations, institutional reform, guarantees of non-repetition, and the systematic activation of transitional justice tools. Such an approach would ensure that violations do not remain without effective remedy and would end the impunity that accompanied years of conflict.
The network reported that an analysis of detention patterns based on its database indicates that torture, enforced disappearance, and death in detention formed a widespread systematic pattern linked to the structure of the detention system during the years of conflict, rather than isolated individual violations.
Foreign Ministry Requests Missing Persons Documents
The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had called on all countries and international organizations that possess information, documents, or evidence related to the Syrian issue to share them with the competent Syrian authorities.
In a statement on June 7, the ministry added that the step aims to enable Syrian authorities to benefit from these documents in serving victims and their families, revealing the truth, and supporting efforts toward transitional justice, accountability, and national recovery.
The Foreign Ministry confirmed that making the requested information available promptly is a key factor in reducing the suffering of victims’ families.
The ministry expressed its readiness to cooperate with all relevant partners to develop partnerships and strengthen the capacities of the competent Syrian institutions.
The ministry explained that experiences related to the violations witnessed in Syria “showed that the value of documents and information lies in using them to serve victims’ families and reveal the fate of the missing.”
Committee to Represent Victims’ Families
The Syrian Bar Association announced the formation of a committee to follow up on and represent the families of victims of arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, and extrajudicial killing in Syria, under a free official power of attorney.
The step came from the association’s commitment to safeguarding human dignity and protecting the right to life, liberty, and personal security, according to a statement it published on May 4.
The statement said Syria witnessed grave, systematic, and widespread violations over successive decades, especially since 2011, including arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, and extrajudicial killing. These violations resulted in the loss of hundreds of thousands of people whose fate remains unknown, constituting a grave and continuing violation of human rights and the law.
Several areas in Syria recently witnessed a wave of protests and popular demands for accountability for figures linked to the former regime.
The protests extended from Idlib to Aleppo, Damascus, and other areas, raising slogans calling for holding those described as “shabiha” and “remnants of the former regime” accountable and removing them from some areas.
The Syrian Ministry of Interior commented on the protests, saying the accountability file must remain within the jurisdiction of judicial and security institutions, away from collective judgments or punishments based on affiliation or unproven accusations.
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