Mon Dec 08 11:15:24 UTC 2025: Syria Faces Daunting Task of Identifying Remains of the Disappeared Under Assad Regime

Damascus, Syria – A year after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, the Syrian Identification Centre is undertaking the grim task of identifying the remains of thousands who disappeared during his rule. Operating out of a forensic laboratory in Damascus, the centre faces a massive challenge, with estimates of missing persons ranging from 100,000 to as high as 300,000, according to the National Commission on Missing Persons.

Dr. Anas Hourani, head of the Identification Centre, explained that the work is painstakingly slow. It could take up to four years to identify victims from just one of the estimated 66 mass graves scattered across Syria. “These missing people may be our relatives, our neighbours, our families,” Dr. Hourani stated, emphasizing the need for accountability.

Forced disappearances were a hallmark of the al-Assad regime, with many detainees tortured and killed in prisons before being buried in mass graves. While the release of 30,000 detainees after the regime’s collapse offered hope, many families were forced to confront the devastating reality that their loved ones were likely dead.

Dr. Hourani uses forensic techniques, including dental analysis and examination of bone structure and clothing, to gather clues. However, the lack of a DNA center and specialized staff severely hampers progress. “We hope to open several centers for DNA analysis, which will help us identify individuals,” he said.

Mohammad Reda Jalkhi, head of the National Commission on Missing Persons, acknowledged the challenges, emphasizing the long-term nature of such efforts, citing examples from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mexico, and Argentina, where searches for the missing continue decades later.

Despite the daunting task, Jalkhi stressed the importance of success in this endeavor, stating, “Failure in the file of missing people means failure to maintain civil peace and therefore disaster. We do not want to return to disaster again in Syria.”

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