On Wednesday, a human rights report said that Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, formerly al-Nusra Front) and the Turkey-backed opposition Syrian National Army (SNA) failed to maintain safety and security for the population in their held areas in northwestern Syria.
“The provinces of Idleb and Aleppo have been hotspots for disappearances and missing person cases. Dozens of loved persons are reported missing monthly, disappearing under circumstances that often remain unknown as authorities have not taken any serious measures to address the growing phenomenon,
“The HTS and the Turkish-backed SNA failed to provide the populace with minimum levels of safety and security,” the report read.
“Neither the victims nor their families have been given sufficient humanitarian attention or media coverage, while search efforts are primarily limited to individual initiatives that lean on almost non-existent resources,” the report added.
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“Some of the disappeared were kidnapped for ransoms; others were disappeared over tribal disputes or due to reprisals between families, or sectarian groups,” the report noted.
“It cannot be stated with certainty that every missing person is detained by one or the other side,” Syrians for Truth and Justice further explained.
“Over 2021, the office documented that 731 persons, among them 91 children, were reported disappeared or missing. Out of the total number, 588 returned, while the remaining 143 are still reported missing.”
“In January 2022, the office documented 79 cases, among them nine children, who were reported as disappeared or missing. In February, the office recorded 59 other cases. All the missing persons remain unaccounted for,” according to STJ.
Kidnappings and abductions are frequent in opposition-held areas in northwestern Syria, several of the reported cases remain unsolved due to the continued disappearance of the kidnapped persons or their deaths after their abduction, according to the report.
This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
