More than 112,000 Syrians who were forcibly disappeared under the Baath regime remain unaccounted for, with strong evidence suggesting that many were killed in detention, according to the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR). The scale of torture and extrajudicial executions in Syrian prisons has become more apparent after the fall of the 61-year Baath Party regime on December 8.
The SNHR’s database includes records of around 136,000 individuals detained or forcibly disappeared during the regime’s rule. Since the ouster of President Bashar Al-Assad, approximately 24,200 prisoners have been released. The SNHR is currently verifying the details of individuals freed from prisons in Aleppo, Hama, Homs, and Damascus between November 28 and December 8.
SNHR Chairman Fadel Abdul Ghany stated that, after excluding recent releases, 112,414 detainees remain unaccounted for, with little evidence to suggest they are still alive. These individuals are considered forcibly disappeared, as their bodies have not been returned to their families.
Abdul Ghany also revealed that the regime deliberately delayed registering death dates in civil records to prolong the suffering of families. Victims were often listed with two dates—one for the actual death and another for when it was recorded, sometimes years later. This tactic, he said, was designed to give families false hope.
He also pointed out that many mass graves remain undiscovered, with only a few having been uncovered so far. The identification of bodies is a complex process, and only through matching bodies with family DNA can the fate of the disappeared be confirmed. Ghany cautioned against false hope regarding rumors of secret underground prisons, stating that all of the regime’s prisons were opened after December 8, and there are no secret facilities left.
The SNHR, established in June 2011 to document human rights violations in Syria, continues its work under Abdul Ghany’s leadership as thousands of families await news of their missing relatives.
