Amal Center for Advocacy and Healing launched the “Truth and Justice” Campaign to raise the voices of families of victims and the forcibly disappeared in Syria, and to demand the right to know, disclosure of fate, and ensuring accountability and no impunity. The campaign is based on documentation and investigation, legal support, and mobilizing the international community to protect the right to truth and justice.

Objectives

• Secure the right to know for families of the disappeared and reveal the circumstances of disappearance and whereabouts.
• Strengthen documentation and investigation leading to the issuance of fair rulings and compensation.
• Demand accountability of perpetrators through prosecution and competent courts.
• Empower survivors and families with psychological, social, and legal support.

Key Facts and Statistics

• 150,000 An estimated persons missing due to the conflict in Syria.
• 76,200 reported cases of missing persons.
• 28,200 cases registered with the International Commission on Missing Persons.
• Discovery of 66 mass graves and two detention sites so far.

The Right to Know and Family Rights

International human rights law recognizes the right of families to know the truth about the reasons for disappearance, the fate of their loved ones, and their whereabouts. The campaign affirms that protecting this right is a condition for justice and healing, and that any future settlement must guarantee reparation and justice.

Mass Graves: Silent Witness and a Necessity for Access

Mass graves are not merely sites, but essential evidence to uncover crimes and identify victims. The campaign calls for granting international investigators the right of access and protection of the site and evidence, paving the way for justice and creating the ground for healing and accountability.

Call to the International Community

• Fund and support specialized teams in search, documentation, and witness protection.
• Establish independent mechanisms to access places of detention and exchange data with families of the missing.
• Strengthen psychological, medical, and legal support for affected families.