Missing Persons’ Families Platform in North and East Syria (MPFP-NES)

MPFP-NES is a platform that brings together families of the missing persons and forcibly disappeared in north and east Syria. It works on organizing and coordinating among them, with the aim of enhancing their right to represent themselves and lead efforts to defend their rights. This includes the active participation in search efforts, communication with the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in Syria (IIMP) and other relevant bodies, providing policy advice, and exchanging information.

The platform represents no specific entity in itself, rather, it is considered a space for coordination, information exchange, and sharing experiences. The idea to form such a platform emerged during consultations organized by Synergy Association for Victims with families of the missing and forcibly disappeared in north and east Syria during 2023. These discussions concluded that the families had been left to fend for themselves without adequate protection and were completely excluded from the processes of truth and justice concerning Syria. The need to establish this platform, therefore, arose, inspired by the active and extensive role played by Syrian families, associations, and organizations of victims and survivors in the recent years regarding the issue of the detainees, forcibly disappeared and the missing persons in the country.

The MPFP-NES has been announced in consultation with families of the missing, as well as victims and survivors’ initiatives in north and east Syria. Synergy Association for Victims will support and facilitate consultations among the platform’s members and its activities. It will also provide counselling and technical support, aimed at developing the platform’s plans and policies, as part of our endeavor to support any meaningful efforts to uncover the fate of the missing and the forcibly disappeared, and to support their families in their pursuit to reveal the truth and achieve justice. This will be accomplished in cooperation with our partners in the “Truth and Justice Charter” and the Syrian civil society.

Addressing the issue of the missing, detained, and forcibly disappeared persons in protracted conflicts, such as the ongoing Syrian conflict since 2011, may necessitate a prolonged period and substantial effort, especially given the involvement of all parties to the conflict in committing arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance, as well as due to their reluctance to cooperate with families, institutions, and organizations striving to ascertain the fate and whereabouts of the missing. This emphasizes the significance of such a platform, based on the necessity for families of the missing to continue leading purposeful efforts to uncover the fate of their loved ones, actively participating in decision-making and guiding the directions of the IIMP and other relevant institutions in order to increase the chances of achieving the required progress in this issue.

The platform adopts the term “missing” to describe any person whose fate or whereabouts are not clearly known, regardless of the reasons beyond his/her missing; whether they are a result of other people’s conducts or because of other factors, and whether they are related to the armed conflict or not. This includes the persons whom their fate or whereabouts have been partially clarified, and also includes the individuals who have gone missing, or still go missing, in other contexts, such as during displacement, or as a result of military operations.

Persons are no longer considered as “missing” after their families and/or another legitimately concerned individual have received reliable information clarifying their fate and whereabouts. However, even when the fate and whereabouts have been clarified, there must be endeavor to seek the release of detainees or facilitating the return of human remains to families.

 

Vision of the Platform:

Truth and justice for the victims and families of the missing and forcibly disappeared, as a foundation for achieving comprehensive and sustainable peace in Syria.

 

Mission of the Platform:

Working to organize the families of the missing and forcibly disappeared in north and east Syria, empower them to represent themselves, and struggle to enhance the active and meaningful participation of victims, survivors and their families in search efforts, truth-revealing, and achieving justice.

 

Values the Platform Seeks:

MPFP-NES adopts a liable and inclusive approach to support all families of the missing, without discrimination, focusing on the issue of the missing as a deep human concern, free from political influences. The platform’s values are:

1. Respect: Appreciating human’s dignity and rights, respecting the experiences and suffering of victims, and committing to addressing the issue of the missing persons in a sensitive manner, free from bias and discrimination.;
2. Justice: Committing to ensuring the right to truth and justice for victims and families of ambiguous loss and enforced disappearance;
3. Solidarity: Standing in solidarity with victims and families of ambiguous loss and enforced disappearance worldwide, supporting them in their endeavor to uncover the fate of their loved ones and achieving justice;
4. Transparency: Working transparently and honestly in all platform-related processes and activities.

 

What Will the Platform Work On?

• Providing a safe and reliable space for victims and families of the missing and forcibly disappeared to communicate and exchange information and experiences.
• Raising awareness about human rights in cases of mysterious loss and enforced disappearance, and the importance of effective and leading participation of victims, survivors and their families in endeavors of revealing truth and achieving justice.
• Organizing campaigns and activities to raise awareness and promote solidarity with the families of missing and forcibly disappeared in north and east Syria, and pressuring on the international community to take action to address this issue and achieve justice for the victims.
• Providing legal advice and necessary assistance to the victims and their families to claim their rights and access justice.
• Promoting cooperation and partnership between relevant institutions and bodies to achieve common goals and strengthen efforts in search and support.

 

Terms and Criteria for Joining the Platform:

MPFP-NES is a space for the relatives of the Syrian missing and the forcibly disappeared, without discrimination. However, membership in the platform requires meeting and complying with the following criteria:

• Commitment to Values and Goals: Members must agree with the values and goals of the platform, which are centered on promoting the right to truth and justice for victims of mysterious loss and enforced disappearance, as well as their families.
• Integrity and Transparency: Members should be honest and transparent in exchanging information and participating in the platform-related activities;
• Cooperation and Solidarity: Members must cooperate and show solidarity with each other, and with other families of the victims in order to achieve the common objectives;
• Confidentiality: Members must respect the confidentiality of the information shared within the platform, and not share it with unauthorized parties.