Press release
Syrian Opposition Coalition
Department of Media and Communications
August 30, 2023
On the occasion of the International Day of Victims of Enforced Disappearance, the Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC) underscores the ongoing plight of hundreds of thousands of Syrians who continue to suffer under the Assad regime’s detainment and forced disappearance tactics. A staggering total of 135,638 individuals, including 3,693 children and 8,478 women, have been meticulously documented by their full names as victims of this abhorrent practice, according to the Syrian Network for Human Rights. The regime’s egregious approach of silencing peaceful demonstrators dates back to 2011 and persists to this day.
The global community’s failure to intervene and secure the release of those disappeared at the hands of the Assad regime constitutes a betrayal and a disregard for Syrian lives. This is especially disturbing given that those imprisoned suffer unimaginable levels of torture in the regime’s facilities, which have earned the grim moniker of “human slaughterhouses” due to the unspeakable violations occurring within. Tragically, many detainees lose their lives as a result of the unspeakable torment inflicted upon them.
The SOC passionately implores the international community and proactive stakeholders invested in Syria’s future to take immediate and substantial measures. It is imperative to uncover the fate of those forcibly disappeared, secure their release from a cycle of daily death, and hold the Assad regime accountable for its gross violations of human rights. Additionally, the Assad regime must face consequences for the array of war crimes committed in collaboration with its allies throughout the years. As a lasting resolution to the terrorism propagated by the regime and its militias, and the concurrent humanitarian crises spawned by their actions, the SOC underscores the importance of backing a political transition in Syria in alignment with UN Resolution 2254.
