The associations of the Truth and Justice Charter are closely monitoring recent statements made by representatives of the Syrian government regarding plans to establish a national Commission concerned with the issue of missing persons in Syria. While we welcome this primary step, we emphasize the need for it to be pursued with genuine commitment and responsibility to ensure justice and the disclosure of the fate of all missing persons—without exception.
The Charter firmly believe that addressing the issue of the missing in Syria cannot be achieved unless victim associations and families of the missing are actively involved. Furthermore, any proposed Commission must respond to their demands for truth, justice, and redress, and its establishment must be grounded in a comprehensive transitional justice framework.
The associations of the Truth and Justice Charter emphasize that coordination between the proposed Commission on the missing and any transitional justice mechanism is not optional, but a necessary step, which is essential to align the processes of truth-seeking, accountability, reparations, and memorialization, while preventing the fragmentation or politicization of justice. We also underscore the importance of establishing institutional links between the two bodies to guarantee coherence in objectives and complementarity in functions and mandates.
Moreover, we highlight the significance of full coordination and operational integration with the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in the Syrian Arab Republic (IIMP), established by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) through the efforts of victims of enforced disappearance and arbitrary detention. As a key actor whose mandate must not be sidelined or weakened, the IIMP’s expertise and resources should be leveraged to strengthen national efforts to uncover the truth and identify the fate of the missing.
The associations of the Charter maintain that justice cannot be realized without first identifying and alleviating the systemic failures that allowed enforced disappearance and arbitrary detention to occur—and without preventing their recurrence. This demands reform of the existing legal framework, including amending relevant legislation, granting formal legal recognition to cases of disappearance, and removing all obstacles to accessing information, archives, and burial sites.
Within this regard, we reiterate that the absence of justice perpetuates conflict within the collective consciousness and memory. The rights to truth, accountability, and redress are essential pillars of national reconciliation and civil peace, offering Syrian society the opportunity to heal and positioning justice as the means to rebuild the social fabric and achieve sustainable peace and stability.
Finally, the Truth and Justice Charter stresses the necessity of meaningfully involving victims’ associations and survivors at every stage of consultations on establishing this Commission—from shaping its initial vision and defining its scope and mandate, to appointing its leadership and designing and executing its functions. As rights-holders, their participation is indispensable to any credible, genuine and effective process.
We reaffirm our commitment to leveraging our expertise, vision, and broad network of families and survivors in support of any genuine national initiative grounded in justice, accountability, and truth. Moreover, we underscore that sidelining this role will only delay peacebuilding, deepen the wounds of the Syrian people, and postpone a long-overdue moral and legal imperative—thereby undermining the very justice this Commission seeks to achieve.
Truth and Justice Charter