Eleven months after the fall of the former government in Syria, we continue to receive worrying reports about dozens of abductions and enforced disappearances, in addition to the more than 100,000 people who went missing under the Assad regime.
Since the fall of Assad, some families have been reunited with their loved ones, while many still live with the distress of not knowing where they are, or what happened to them. The fate and whereabouts of all those who have gone missing, both before and after the fall of the former government, must urgently be clarified. In this regard, we support the work of the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in the Syrian Arab Republic (IIMP).
One recent emblematic case is the disappearance of Syria Civil Defense volunteer Hamza Al-Amarin, who went missing on 16 July 2025 while supporting a humanitarian evacuation mission during violence in Suweida. He remains unaccounted for.
We stress that all armed actors - both exercising State power and otherwise - must respect and protect humanitarian workers at all times, everywhere, as required by international human rights law and applicable humanitarian law.
Accountability and justice for all human rights violations and abuses, past and present, are essential for Syria to build a durable, peaceful and secure future for all its people.
