Paris, France (Zaman Al Wasl)- The Syrian capital, Paris, recently hosted a consultative meeting that brought together families of the missing and forcibly disappeared persons with the Syrian National Commission for the Missing. This event marks a new phase aimed at enhancing direct communication with victims' relatives in host countries and involving them in the search process and the quest for truth within Syria's transitional justice path.
The meeting was attended by Dr. Muhammad Reda al-Jalchi, President of the National Commission for the Missing, and moderated by Mazen Darwish, head of the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression. This collaborative effort seeks to develop mechanisms for uncovering the truth and achieving justice for the victims.
A National Commission on a Humanitarian-Legal Basis
Dr. al-Jalchi opened the meeting by emphasizing that the "National Commission would not have existed without the pain and hopes of the families of the missing." He stated that the Commission operates within a humanitarian-legal framework based on international standards and best practices in the field of missing persons.
He clarified that the issue of the missing is "the most bleeding wound in the Syrian collective consciousness," with numbers estimated in the hundreds of thousands, making this file one of the most complex in the transitional justice process.
Dr. al-Jalchi provided a detailed overview of the Commission's establishment, confirming that it is building a distinct Syrian model based on partnership between the Syrian government, the National Commission, civil society organizations, victims' family associations, and international institutions. He outlined that the Commission's work rests on four main principles:
Partnership
Transparency
Non-discrimination
Scientific and Professional Approach
He stressed that "truth is not determined by slogans, but by science, forensics, and professional documentation," and that priority remains with the national institution for the missing as a guarantee of both sovereignty and justice.
A Roadmap Until 2027
Dr. al-Jalchi presented the Commission's comprehensive roadmap, which includes five phases extending until 2027:
2025 — Phase of institutional and legal building for the Commission.
2026 — Launch of the digital reporting platform, which will operate in four stages: reporting, document verification, field verification, and genetic sampling, in addition to providing legal and psychological support to families and building Syrian expertise.
2027 — Opening of mass graves and genetic matching.
Field search for the missing.
Determining fates and providing sustainable support to victims' families.
Al-Jalchi also announced the opening of 7 representative offices for the Commission in Syrian provinces, in addition to holding an annual conference for the families of the missing starting next year. He also mentioned the possibility of specialized offices in Syrian consulates abroad for the same purpose.
He pointed to the launch of the "Support the National Commission for the Missing in Syria" platform in cooperation with six organizations specialized in documenting enforced disappearances, in addition to the signing of international cooperation principles this November, which define the roles of all parties within the Syrian national framework.
New Legislation for the Missing and Mass Graves
The head of the National Commission revealed that work is underway to prepare a draft law specifically for the missing in Syria. This law would include a comprehensive legal framework to address the situations of the forcibly disappeared and establish clear foundations for dealing with mass graves. A separate law specifically for mass graves may be proposed later, following consultations with experts, victims' families, and civil society organizations.
Darwish: Involving Families is a Necessity, Not a Choice
For his part, lawyer Mazen Darwish stressed the importance of holding these meetings with the families of the missing inside Syria and in host countries, considering them essential partners who cannot be bypassed in building the path to justice. He emphasized the necessity of their involvement in policymaking and evaluating the Commission's working mechanisms to ensure the inclusivity and credibility of the process.
Wide Interaction and Painful Questions
The meeting concluded with an open dialogue session, where families raised questions concerning determining the fate of their loved ones, documentation mechanisms, cooperation with host countries, and the process of opening mass graves. Dr. al-Jalchi provided detailed answers that reflected the scale of the challenges and the volume of work being done on the ground.
Reporting by Firas Haj Yahya
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