The families of Syrian prison detainees who went missing deserve to have answers and to know what happened to their loved ones, a UN Human Rights Office spokesperson said Friday.
Thameen Al-Kheetan said at a news conference that the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, flagged how important the moment is in Syria — for those still missing and their loved ones.
“Since the fall of former President Bashar Al-Assad‘s government, almost two weeks ago, we have seen footage of hundreds of detainees pouring out of now-open prisons,” said Al-Kheetan.
“Some were expressing happiness to see sunlight, but others were shocked after years of torture and inhumane treatment that they are incapable of any form of expression,” he said.
Al-Kheetan said families remain distressed as they have not yet found their loved ones.
“They deserve to have all the answers about their relatives’ fate and whereabouts and to know the circumstances in which they went missing. They also need mental health and psychosocial support,” he said.
He said transitional justice and community trust-building anchored in human rights will be very important in Syria’s future.
Turk is deploying a team of human rights officers next week to Syria to support the existing UN presence on human rights issues, as well as efforts to ensure that a transition is inclusive and within the framework of international law, said Al-Kheetan.