Searching for Syria’s Disappeared – The New York Times

Taher al-Zain has come to this hospital within the Syrian capital in the hunt for his father, Mohamed. The lawyer and father of 5 disappeared 12 years in the past and is one in every of tens of 1000’s of Syrians who went lacking throughout the nation’s civil battle. Hundreds of political prisoners have been let loose throughout Syria because the regime of President Bashar al-Assad was overthrown on Dec. 8. Ahmed Abu Seif was one in every of them. As our bodies of those that died in jail are recovered, they’re taken to hospitals across the nation. Taher inspects images of the deceased on the wall, on the lookout for an indication of his father. Among the many crowd are supporters of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the insurgent group that’s now in charge of a lot of the nation. Taher’s ultimate cease is the notorious Sednaya jail on the outskirts of Damascus. Hundreds of individuals are believed to have been executed and tortured right here through the years. Taher and others have come day-after-day to seek for proof of their lacking family members within the scraps of jail paperwork the previous authorities left behind. As Syria enters a brand new and unsure section, the households of the disappeared really feel trapped up to now. With out solutions, they proceed to search for their family members and for closure.