The Women Left Behind
When Fatima’s (name changed) husband disappeared in 2013, she risked her life to find any news of him. “I searched in all security branches, but to give any information,
Missing Persons
COVID-19 Canceled the UN Human Rights Council. This is What Families of the Missing Had Hoped to Say.
In March of this year, the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC), along with a number of Syrian families whose loved ones were kidnapped by ISIS, were scheduled to attend
SJAC Launches Missing Persons Program in Northeast Syria
SJAC, in collaboration with the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team (EAAF), has begun providing technical trainings in mass grave exhumation and documentation to the First Responders’ Team (FRT) working to open
Breaking the Cycle of Enforced Disappearances
On Friday, August 30, the United Nations will observe the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances. For Syrians, this day serves as a stark reminder of the tens
Families of ISIS Missing Deserve Truth
The ‘Coalition of Families of Those Kidnapped by ISIS’, a new organization of Syrian families based in Paris, held a joint news conference [https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/05/
Meeting the Challenges of Northeastern Syria
In recent months, discussions on Northeastern Syria have centered on one question: who will control the region after a United States military draw down? The answer will undoubtedly shape the
US Military Report on Civilian Casualties Fails to Address Syrian Concerns
A US Department of Defense (DOD) report [https://www.justsecurity.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Civ-Cas-Study-Redacted-just-security.pdf] from April 2018 on the US military’s process for assessing civilian casualties
The World Must Not Ignore ISIS’s Crimes Against the Druze
A group of Druze-Americans participate in a ‘Free the Hostages’ [https://www.facebook.com/events/240599553276258/] protest at the White House in Washington, DC. Photo by SJAC. On July 25,
What the Disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi Means for Syria
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meets with Saudi Arabia’s King Salman to discuss the disappearance of Khashoggi. Photo credit: Wikipedia [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamal_Khashoggi#/media/
The Dangers and Difficulties of Counting Victims in Syria
The plight of thousands of detained Syrians has come to public attention in recent months, as the government has begun to update civil registries with previously unreported deaths in custody.