The Missing number in the hundreds of thousands in Syria, where mass graves of torture victims are found weekly

The Haunting Return: Syria’s ‘Missing’ and the Aftermath of War

They are finding them in fields, down wells and underneath abandoned houses. Sometimes one, sometimes many, sometimes buried, sometimes left to rot or be scattered by scavenging animals. In Syria, they are simply called “The Missing,” but in the wake of the country’s 13-year civil war, they are now returning as bones, scraps of clothes, or on records salvaged from the prisons of Syria’s former regime.

More than 200,000 people disappeared between the uprisings that began in 2011 and the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. Many were taken by Syria’s secret police or intelligence services, or by groups employed by the regime. Others were killed by rebel groups or the Islamic State.

The Scale of Discovery

Following the regime’s collapse, returning refugees and internally displaced Syrians are discovering remains across the country. Ammar al-Salmo, founder of the forensic investigation team for the White Helmets, describes an “explosion of human remains.” His teams have logged 88 sites – 83 of them mass graves – over the past 14 months.

Methods of Atrocity and the Search for Justice

The regime employed brutal tactics, including burning bodies with tires, leaving only small, crushed bones. In one area, Sbeneh, remains were found in underground apartments. Families are finding photos of loved ones in documentation leaked by a defector known as “Caesar,” revealing the extent of the regime’s system of torture and death.

Mahmoud al-Akesh discovered photos of his brother-in-law, dead and mutilated, in the Caesar files. He recounts accounts of torture, including acid being poured on his brother’s back and eyes being gouged out. His brother, Mohammed Nasser, was executed, and his husband, Bassam, was taken from a family lunch and disappeared.

Bernadette Hallak’s husband was seized by regime security agents. She continues to search for his remains, hoping for closure. She recounts how officials provided a death certificate with incorrect details, suggesting a systematic attempt to conceal the truth.

Challenges and the Path Forward

A novel National Commission for the Missing has been created, but faces challenges in securing funding, hiring staff, and establishing a central database. The commission is relying on incomplete records salvaged from the former regime. Lawyer Ammar Abara recovered over 4,000 prisoner names and sent them to the transitional government’s prosecution service.

The White Helmets are training workers in site investigation and forensic analysis. Exposing the crimes and remembering the victims is seen as crucial for Syria’s recovery. “Peace only builds on justice,” al-Salmo states.

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