International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances

30 August

The Syrian regime has systematically used enforced disappearance as one of the most prominent tools of repression and terrorization to crush its political adversaries, opponents and activists in the civil movement and intimidate society. It mobilized the capabilities of the security services to prosecute, arrest, torture and forcibly disappear people of opposing opinions.

 
The issue of enforced disappearances is tragic for both the victims and society. It has painful impacts and consequences for the victims, their families, relatives and society at large. It is a form of dehumanization.

Although the United Nations has acknowledged that revealing the fate of hundreds of thousands of forcibly disappeared persons and releasing them is a non-negotiable matter, the perpetrators of enforced disappearances still enjoy widespread impunity, and there is no alternative to bringing them to justice, provided that this step is one of the most important steps towards reaching a just political solution in accordance with international resolutions, especially Resolution 2254 (2015).

The expected draft constitution of Syria shall guarantee the state’s commitment to protect all persons from enforced disappearance, stop human rights violations, and respect civil and political rights. It shall also guarantee person’s right to liberty and security of their person, the right not to be subjected to torture or any form of inhuman treatment, and the right to Judicial guarantees, reparations and compensations.

 
The expected draft constitution of Syria shall uphold the International Human Rights Law and the International Convention for the Protection of all Persons against Enforced Disappearances, adopted by the UN General Assembly on 20 December 2006, and shall call for reforming the laws to conform to all international standards in this regard.