Attachments
GENEVA (8 December 2024) – Today marks a historic new beginning for the Syrian people who have suffered unspeakable violence and atrocities over the past 14 years. It is time to finally put Syrians’ own aspirations first and place the country on a path toward a stable, prosperous and just future that guarantees the human rights and dignity its people have so long been denied, the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria said today after a coalition of forces seized Damascus and freed political prisoners from Sednaya and other detention facilities.
“The Syrian people should be allowed to view this historical moment as the end of decades of state-organized repression,” said Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro, Chair of the Commission.
“Prisoners being released after decades in arbitrary detention from the infamous Sednaya Prison outside Damascus is a scene that millions of Syrians could not have imagined a few days ago,” Pinheiro said. “It is incumbent on those now in charge to ensure that such atrocities are never again repeated within the walls of Sednaya or any other detention centre in Syria.”
Across the territory rapidly taken over by armed groups led by Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), the past few days have seen the release of thousands of prisoners who have endured years, or even decades, of incommunicado detention. This should bring immense relief to the freed individuals and their families and offers hope to those still awaiting news of the tens of thousands of disappeared loved ones.
For decades, Sednaya and other infamous detention facilities have been synonymous with fear, loss, suffering and cruelty. The cells where detainees were ill-treated are now open, as are the interrogation chambers where they were tortured using cruel methods that the Commission has documented for years.
“Throughout the war, families have put themselves in grave danger and paid exorbitant sums in bribes to corrupt State officials for news about their detained loved ones. Now, in videos just released from inside detention facilities, we see rooms with rows of shelves filled with these files. HTS and the other armed groups now taking control of the detention centres must take great care not to disturb evidence of violations and crimes,” said Commissioner Lynn Welchman.
“The long and arduous search for Syria’s disappeared now has a chance to progress exponentially. We call on Member States to continue to support the Syrian family associations and the new UN institution dedicated to this work,” said Commissioner Hanny Megally.
“In the meantime, we hope the authorities will ensure that all persons freed from arbitrary and unlawful detention are quickly supported to ensure family reunification and appropriate medical and psychological support,” Megally added.
The Commission calls on all parties in Syria to facilitate access for independent humanitarian and human rights actors, including the Commission, to the country, including detention facilities. It stresses the importance of ensuring that all evidence is protected.
Both opposition and Government leadership have made initial statements indicating their commitment to maintaining good conduct and protecting civilians, which is encouraging. Their deeds must now match their words.
The groups now controlling large areas have a chance to break the destructive cycle of pillage and plunder that the Commission has often documented in the wake of shifts in territorial control and mass displacement. It encourages their leadership to take immediate steps to prevent looting and ensure the protection of homes and possessions left behind by the hundreds of thousands who have been displaced this past week.
ENDS
Note: In the coming days, the Commission will release a new report highlighting the vast scale of systematic looting and destruction of homes that has ravaged the country, often in the wake of shifts in territorial control and ensuing mass displacement.
Background: The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic was established on 22 August 2011 by the Human Rights Council through resolution S-17/1.The mandate of the Commission is to investigate all alleged violations of international human rights law since March 2011 in the Syrian Arab Republic. The Human Rights Council also tasked the Commission with establishing the facts and circumstances that may amount to such violations and of the crimes perpetrated and, where possible, to identify those responsible with a view of ensuring that perpetrators of violations, including those that may constitute crimes against humanity, are held accountable. The Human Rights Council has repeatedly extended the Commission's mandate since then, most recently until 31 March 2025.
More information on the work of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria can be found here.
For media requests, please contact: Johan Eriksson, UN Syria Commission of Inquiry Media Adviser, at +41 76 691 0411 / johan.eriksson@un.org; or Todd Pitman, Media Adviser, Investigative Missions, at +41766911761 / todd.pitman@un.org; Pascal Sim, Human Rights Council Media Officer at +41229179763 / simp@un.org.