Syria’s government must demonstrate its unequivocal commitment to establishing truth, justice and reparations for the tens of thousands of disappeared persons by prioritizing an inclusive national search for those still missing and delivering on accountability, said Amnesty International in a new briefing published ahead of the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances on 30 August and nine months after the fall of President Bashar al-Assad’s government. 

Truth Still Buried: The struggle for justice of disappeared people’s families in Syria, describes how, following Bashar al-Assad’s ousting on 8 December 2024, desperate families flocked to former detention centres, prisons, morgues, and mass grave sites. 

The briefing details the profound anguish and renewed trauma experienced by the many families who, after years of hoping their loved ones would emerge from Syria’s notorious detention centres and prisons, are still left with no answers. It is based on interviews with 21 family members, survivors, and representatives of victims’ associations between May and June 2025, many conducted during a visit to Syria in May 2025. 

The briefing describes the deep distress that former detainees and families of the disappeared endured as crucial evidence was lost or destroyed after the fall of Assad’s government and while seeing alleged perpetrators roam free. It sheds light on the continuing struggle waged by families of the disappeared to campaign for their rights, including by setting up ‘Truth Tents’ across Syria where they could gather in public, honour their loved ones, and demand justice. 

“The families of Syria’s disappeared have endured over a decade of unimaginable suffering and uncertainty. While the fall of the former government offered a glimmer of hope, the fear that alleged perpetrators will be let off the hook and the search for the missing might not be comprehensive and inclusive is contributing to a new wave of trauma, ” said Kristine Beckerle, Deputy Regional Director for MENA at Amnesty International.  

Truth, justice and reparations for Syria’s disappeared must be treated as an urgent state priority.

Kristine Beckerle, Amnesty International

“Truth, justice and reparations for Syria’s disappeared must be treated as an urgent state priority, including through ensuring the independence of the newly established National Commission for the Missing (NCM) and providing it with adequate resources and the highest levels of cooperation across all state institutions. With each day that passes, the torment of families waiting for answers about the fate and whereabouts of their loved ones grows. 

“The new government is facing a myriad of challenges, including dire economic conditions and a deteriorating security situation amid growing sectarian violence. It cannot move forward to build a future founded on accountability and the rule of law without acting decisively now to ensure an inclusive process towards truth, justice and reparations for those disappeared by all of Syria’s warring parties.” 

The briefing highlights the key demands made by the families of the disappeared: discovering the truth about the fate of their loved ones; delivering justice, including by holding perpetrators on all sides to account; providing reparations – whether financial or in terms of psychosocial, health or other support, including the acknowledgement of victims’ experiences; and finally, guarantees that the new government will ensure such disappearances never again take place in Syria.  

Between 2011 and 2024, more than 100,000 people in Syria are estimated to have been disappeared. The vast majority were forcibly disappeared by the Assad government, vanishing into its notorious network of detention facilities. Thousands of others were disappeared by armed opposition groups.  

The establishment of the NCM on 17 May 2025 is a critical initial step toward truth, justice and reparations for such disappearances. In comments made to state media on 18 August 2025, the head of the NCM announced that it had set up an interim structure with an Advisory and an Executive Council and was implementing a six-stage work plan, including preparations for a national conference on the needs and rights of families. He said the NCM’s core tasks are support [for victims of disappearance] and documentation, including building a national database of the missing, collecting DNA samples, and developing national forensic capacity with international cooperation. 

The same day that the Syrian government established the NCM, it also created the National Commission for Transitional Justice (NCTJ), which is meant to “uncover the truth about the grave violations caused by the former regime, hold those responsible accountable in coordination with the relevant authorities, compensate the victims, and consolidate the principles of non-repetition and national reconciliation”. The mandate of the NCTJ must be expanded beyond the serious human rights violations committed by the former government to include crimes under international law committed by armed groups. 

Wasel Hamideh, whose brother was forcibly disappeared, said: “As families of the disappeared, we demand justice for all victims — those who lost loved ones to the Assad regime, or to other armed actors. Securing justice and holding perpetrators from all sides accountable is the only guarantee that our agony will not be repeated. It is the only way we can live in a country governed by the rule of law.” 

Amnesty International has documented abductions of people in the nine-month period since the Assad government was ousted, with the government failing to promptly, thoroughly and impartially investigate cases or hold perpetrators accountable. 

“The Syrian government must heed the calls of victims’ families to prioritize their rights to truth, justice and reparations. Donor governments worldwide must also provide funding and comprehensive support to family associations and survivor-led groups assisting victims of disappearances to have such rights fulfilled in the context of an inclusive process,” said Kristine Beckerle. 

Without truth, justice and reparations, Syria’s people will never truly heal. The government must conduct prompt, thorough, independent, impartial and transparent investigations into all crimes under international law.

Kristine Beckerle, Amnesty International

“Without truth, justice and reparations, Syria’s people will never truly heal. The government must conduct prompt, thorough, independent, impartial and transparent investigations into all crimes under international law. It must ensure that all victims and their families receive full, adequate and effective reparations, including restitution, compensation, rehabilitation, satisfaction and guarantees of non-repetition.”