Security Council blockade irritates families of missing Syrians arrested |

Wafa Ali Mustafa, a Syrian journalist, activist and member of the Families for Freedom, who campaigns for the release of Syrian detainees, said their numbers are growing as the Syrian government and armed groups continue to use detention as a weapon for terrorize civilians in violation of international law.

Among those arrested is her father, Ali Mustafa, a human rights defender who has not been seen or heard from since he disappeared in July 2013. We have never been told why he was taken from us or where was being held, she said.

A pain unlike any other

To have a loved one who has been arrested or disappeared, and not to know their fate, is like waking up one day and realizing that you have lost a limb, said Ms. Mustafa, informing a Videoconference Council about the political aspects of the war in Syria that exploded in 2011.

I can tell you, it ‘s a growing pain, a pain unlike any other, she said.

She said the families of those arrested are deeply irritated by the Council’s collective inaction and removal of responsibility to address a crime against humanity.

My colleagues have shared our requests for stories and requests with you, but so far no progress has been made, she said, noting thatCovida-19pandemic and the risk of the virus spreading rapidly in detention facilities is a cause for increased urgency.

We hear excuses about the need to give priority to other humanitarian or political issues in Syria, that now is not the time to focus on the detainees. But all these issues are related and this Council can and should address them all at once.

Release the names

She urged the Council to put pressure on the Syrian authorities and others to immediately release the names of all persons in detention, together with their locations and situations.

Torture and ill-treatment should cease immediately, and detainees should be allowed routine contact with their families, she said, adding that the families of any detainees who have died should be informed of the circumstances of their transfer and access to burial sites is provided.

Follow international law: Pedersen

Geir O. Pedersen, United NationsSpecial Envoy for Syria, also informingcouncil, said the issue of detainees, abductees and missing persons requires sustained and meaningful action, in line with international law.

Such an action on a topic that affects all Syrian families could help build trust in society, as well as between international parties and stakeholders, he said, speaking ahead of a planned resumption of the facilitated Syrian Constitutional Committee. from the UN to Geneva in August.

Extremely insufficient progress in constitutional reform

Honestly, progress on this dossier has been extremely insufficient, to the disappointment of many Syrians, inside and outside Syria, he said.

This is unfortunate because it is a cause that all members of the Council can back off, he added, recalling their unanimous adoption a little over a year ago of resolution 2474 (2019) on missing persons in conflict armed.

During her conference, Ms. Mustafa strongly opposed the idea of ​​exchanging prisoners between the warring parties, saying it is not a substitute for a comprehensive solution to the crime of unlawful detention and enforced disappearance.

At the same time, she welcomed the start in the West German city of Koblenz in April of the trial under the principle of universal jurisdiction of two former Syrian intelligence officials suspected of torture.

The two men, identified by prosecutors only as Anwar R and Eyad A, were arrested in Germany in February 2019 as part of a joint investigation with French judicial officials, following a series of criminal complaints filed by human rights activists. human beings and torture survivors, according to news reports

Seeking answers

Ms. Mustafa encouraged other countries to follow the German leadership in pursuing justice, adding however that the real hope is to see the perpetrators brought before the International Criminal Court (ICC).

I often receive messages from the families of detainees, sometimes dozens a day, she said.

They have not given up looking for answers for their loved ones. I wonder how many members of this Council can also say that they have not relinquished their responsibility to protect civilians, to protect human rights and to see justice done.