Reliable UN information: Missing Syrians are still alive

The Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations and head of the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in Syria, Carla Quintana, stated that the institution possesses reliable information indicating that some of the missing persons are still alive, emphasizing that identification and criminal proceedings must be led by a Syrian national body with international support.

In an interview with Anadolu Agency, she explained that the institution is investigating the fate of hundreds of thousands of missing Syrians across four main areas: those missing at the hands of the regime, missing children, migrants, and individuals who disappeared at the hands of the "Islamic State" organization.

Quintana mentioned that the institution "has reliable and verifiable information indicating that some of the missing are alive. It also possesses data related to missing children and women who may be victims of sexual slavery or human trafficking."

The Deputy Secretary-General considered the search for missing persons in Syria "not merely a humanitarian duty, but a collective moral obligation."

Quintana stated that the institution operates with a team of approximately 40 people, noting that "the tragedy of the missing cannot be solved by one institution alone. No one can do this alone; this is not a task for a single entity."

The Deputy Secretary-General stressed the importance of involving national institutions, civil society organizations, UN agencies, member states, and the families of the missing in the search process.

Quintana added "I am in constant contact with the head of the National Committee for the Search for Missing Persons established by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad," and said that this "is happening for the first time in history; there is no other example where an international and a national entity are simultaneously searching for missing persons." Quintana explained that the independent institution concerned with missing persons in Syria was established two years ago thanks to the struggle of the families who managed to convince the United Nations General Assembly of the need for its creation.