{"id":8758,"date":"2023-06-30T13:58:37","date_gmt":"2023-06-30T12:58:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londonpost.news\/?p=8758"},"modified":"2023-06-30T14:26:26","modified_gmt":"2023-06-30T13:26:26","slug":"new-un-drive-to-find-missing-loved-ones-gives-syrian-families-hope-amidst-tragedy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/magazine\/health-and-lifestyle\/new-un-drive-to-find-missing-loved-ones-gives-syrian-families-hope-amidst-tragedy\/2023\/06\/30\/admin1\/","title":{"rendered":"New UN Drive to Find Missing Loved Ones Gives Syrian Families Hope Amidst Tragedy"},"content":{"rendered":"

IDLIB,<\/span> Syria<\/span> (AFP)<\/span> –<\/span> In<\/span> rebel-held<\/span> Idlib,<\/span> northwestern<\/span> Syria,<\/span> the<\/span> United<\/span> Nations<\/span> General<\/span> Assembly<\/span> has<\/span> voted<\/span> to<\/span> create<\/span> an<\/span> independent<\/span> international<\/span> body<\/span> tasked<\/span> with<\/span> determining<\/span> the<\/span> fate<\/span> of<\/span> more<\/span> than<\/span> 130,000<\/span> missing<\/span> people.<\/span> Cautiously<\/span> hopeful<\/span> to<\/span> investigate<\/span> missing<\/span> persons<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> Northwest.<\/span> In<\/span> 2011<\/span> the<\/span> Syrian<\/span> civil<\/span> war<\/span> began.<\/span> Among<\/span> them<\/span> is<\/span> Umm<\/span> Mohammed,<\/span> whose<\/span> husband<\/span> disappeared<\/span> after<\/span> being<\/span> arrested<\/span> by<\/span> Syrian<\/span> soldiers<\/span> during<\/span> anti-government<\/span> demonstrations<\/span> in<\/span> Damascus<\/span> in<\/span> 2013.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> resolution<\/span> was<\/span> passed<\/span> with<\/span> 83<\/span> votes<\/span> in<\/span> favor,<\/span> 11<\/span> against<\/span> and<\/span> 62<\/span> abstentions,<\/span> drawing<\/span> support<\/span> from<\/span> Western<\/span> countries,<\/span> including<\/span> the<\/span> United<\/span> States,<\/span> but<\/span> opposed<\/span> by<\/span> Syria,<\/span> Russia,<\/span> Iran<\/span> and<\/span> China.<\/span> The<\/span> facility<\/span> will<\/span> operate<\/span> in<\/span> both<\/span> government<\/span> and<\/span> rebel-held<\/span> areas<\/span> and<\/span> collect<\/span> information<\/span> from<\/span> families,<\/span> Syrian<\/span> civil<\/span> society<\/span> organizations,<\/span> whistleblowers<\/span> and<\/span> UN<\/span> agencies.<\/span> It<\/span> will<\/span> also<\/span> conduct<\/span> investigations<\/span> into<\/span> authorities<\/span> in<\/span> Syrian<\/span> government<\/span> and<\/span> rebel-held<\/span> areas.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> establishment<\/span> of<\/span> this<\/span> International<\/span> Search<\/span> Authority<\/span> is<\/span> an<\/span> important<\/span> step<\/span> in<\/span> addressing<\/span> the<\/span> plight<\/span> of<\/span> Syria’s<\/span> missing<\/span> persons.<\/span> The<\/span> family<\/span> has<\/span> been<\/span> living<\/span> in<\/span> painful<\/span> anxiety<\/span> for<\/span> years<\/span> and<\/span> is<\/span> uncertain<\/span> about<\/span> the<\/span> fate<\/span> of<\/span> their<\/span> loved<\/span> ones.<\/span> Many<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> missing<\/span> are<\/span> believed<\/span> to<\/span> have<\/span> been<\/span> detained<\/span> in<\/span> government<\/span> prisons<\/span> or<\/span> arrested<\/span> by<\/span> non-state<\/span> armed<\/span> groups,<\/span> while<\/span> others<\/span> may<\/span> have<\/span> been<\/span> buried<\/span> in<\/span> mass<\/span> graves.<\/span> The<\/span> purpose<\/span> of<\/span> this<\/span> facility<\/span> is<\/span> to<\/span> gather<\/span> information<\/span> from<\/span> various<\/span> sources<\/span> in<\/span> hopes<\/span> of<\/span> providing<\/span> answers<\/span> and<\/span> bringing<\/span> closure<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> family.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Hani<\/span> Megary,<\/span> a<\/span> member<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> United<\/span> Nations<\/span> Commission<\/span> on<\/span> Human<\/span> Rights<\/span> Abuses<\/span> in<\/span> Syria,<\/span> established<\/span> in<\/span> 2011,<\/span> said<\/span> the<\/span> intensive<\/span> work<\/span> on<\/span> missing<\/span> persons<\/span> has<\/span> led<\/span> to<\/span> whistleblowers<\/span> coming<\/span> forward<\/span> and<\/span> scattered<\/span> data<\/span> from<\/span> human<\/span> rights<\/span> groups.<\/span> expressed<\/span> hope<\/span> that<\/span> it<\/span> would<\/span> be<\/span> useful<\/span> for<\/span> the<\/span> collection<\/span> of<\/span> Torture<\/span> and<\/span> enforced<\/span> disappearances<\/span> in<\/span> Syrian<\/span> prisons<\/span> have<\/span> been<\/span> brought<\/span> to<\/span> light<\/span> in<\/span> recent<\/span> years<\/span> by<\/span> the<\/span> release<\/span> of<\/span> so-called<\/span> Caesar<\/span> photographs<\/span> and<\/span> testimonies<\/span> of<\/span> exiles.<\/span> The<\/span> establishment<\/span> of<\/span> an<\/span> international<\/span> organization<\/span> to<\/span> investigate<\/span> missing<\/span> persons<\/span> could<\/span> set<\/span> a<\/span> precedent<\/span> for<\/span> solving<\/span> similar<\/span> problems<\/span> in<\/span> other<\/span> conflict-affected<\/span> areas.<\/span> The<\/span> plight<\/span> of<\/span> families<\/span> who<\/span> have<\/span> lost<\/span> loved<\/span> ones<\/span> extends<\/span> beyond<\/span> Syria,<\/span> with<\/span> Lebanon,<\/span> Iraq<\/span> and<\/span> Yemen<\/span> facing<\/span> similar<\/span> painful<\/span> anxieties.<\/span> Families<\/span> of<\/span> missing<\/span> persons<\/span> in<\/span> these<\/span> countries<\/span> hope<\/span> that<\/span> the<\/span> establishment<\/span> of<\/span> this<\/span> agency<\/span> will<\/span> pave<\/span> the<\/span> way<\/span> for<\/span> their<\/span> cases<\/span> to<\/span> be<\/span> dealt<\/span> with.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Families<\/span> like<\/span> Umm<\/span> Muhammad<\/span> cling<\/span> to<\/span> a<\/span> sliver<\/span> of<\/span> hope,<\/span> but<\/span> remain<\/span> wary<\/span> of<\/span> possible<\/span> information<\/span> from<\/span> Syrian<\/span> authorities.<\/span> President<\/span> Bashar<\/span> al-Assad<\/span> has<\/span> denied<\/span> detaining<\/span> political<\/span> prisoners<\/span> and<\/span> has<\/span> frequently<\/span> labeled<\/span> rebels<\/span> terrorists.<\/span> Since<\/span> Syria<\/span> does<\/span> not<\/span> extradite<\/span> its<\/span> citizens<\/span> for<\/span> investigative<\/span> purposes,<\/span> working<\/span> directly<\/span> with<\/span> Syrian<\/span> authorities<\/span> could<\/span> be<\/span> difficult.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>A<\/span> vote<\/span> to<\/span> create<\/span> an<\/span> international<\/span> investigative<\/span> agency<\/span> gives<\/span> new<\/span> hope<\/span> to<\/span> families<\/span> desperate<\/span> for<\/span> answers<\/span> about<\/span> their<\/span> missing<\/span> loved<\/span> ones.<\/span> This<\/span> is<\/span> an<\/span> important<\/span> step<\/span> in<\/span> addressing<\/span> suffering<\/span> and<\/span> human<\/span> rights<\/span> abuses<\/span> in<\/span> Syria<\/span> and<\/span> could<\/span> serve<\/span> as<\/span> a<\/span> model<\/span> for<\/span> addressing<\/span> similar<\/span> issues<\/span> globally.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

IDLIB, Syria (AFP) – In rebel-held Idlib, northwestern Syria, the United Nations General Assembly has voted to create an independent international body tasked with determining the fate of more than 130,000 missing people. Cautiously hopeful to investigate missing persons in the Northwest. In 2011 the Syrian civil war began. Among them is Umm Mohammed, whose […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8763,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":""},"categories":[562,2460,6042],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/SYR.webp","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8758"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8758"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8758\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8765,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8758\/revisions\/8765"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8763"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8758"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8758"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8758"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}