{"id":6825,"date":"2026-08-31T17:48:57","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T15:48:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hevdesti.org\/?p=6825"},"modified":"2026-08-31T17:48:57","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T15:48:57","slug":"en-empty-chairs-families-of-missing-renew-their-call-for-truth-and-justice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hevdesti.org\/en\/en-empty-chairs-families-of-missing-renew-their-call-for-truth-and-justice\/","title":{"rendered":"Empty Chairs: Families of the Missing Renew Their Call for Truth and Justice"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Qamishli \u2013 August 30, 2026<\/p>\n

The Missing Persons\u2019 Families Platform in North and East Syria (MPFP-NES<\/a>) held an event titled \u201cEmpty Chairs: Our Loved Ones Are Present in Their Absence<\/a>\u201d on Sunday, August 30, 2026, in Qamishli\u2019s public park to mark the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearance. The event brought together family members of missing persons from Al-Hasakah, Raqqa, and Deir ez-Zor governorates.<\/p>\n

The event was part of a campaign highlighting the issue of missing persons in Syria and renewing families\u2019 calls for the fate and whereabouts of their loved ones to be established, and for their right to truth and justice to be upheld.<\/p>\n

Empty chairs were at the heart of the event. Each chair carried the name of a missing person and the date they went missing, symbolizing the enduring absence that families continue to live with, as well as the lasting presence of their loved ones in their memories and everyday lives. Each chair stood as a testament to the story of a person with a name, a life, and a family still waiting to learn what happened to them.<\/p>\n

The event featured video screenings and messages highlighting the issue of missing persons. Family members were also invited to write messages to their loved ones, as well as to the authorities responsible and to society at large, and display them at the site as part of the installation. The messages conveyed the pain of waiting and the enduring act of remembrance, while calling for the fate and whereabouts of missing persons to be established, cases of disappearance to be documented, families\u2019 rights to be upheld, and those responsible for violations to be held accountable.<\/p>\n

At the end of the event, family members placed white roses on the chairs bearing the names of their missing loved ones, expressing remembrance, their continued search for truth, and the enduring presence of those who remain absent from their lives.<\/p>\n

Abbas Ali Mousa, Coordinator of the Missing Persons\u2019 Families Platform in North and East Syria, said that families had come together to raise their voices and reaffirm the right of every family to know what happened to their loved ones. He stressed that families\u2019 active and meaningful participation and leadership in all efforts to search for missing persons are essential to making progress on the issue, adding that families will continue to work to advance this right.<\/p>\n

Abdul Qader Hindawi, a member of the platform, said that the families\u2019 message to the world is that their loved ones \u201care not just numbers.\u201d He stressed that families will continue searching for missing persons and working for justice for all victims and their families in Syria.<\/p>\n

The event forms part of the platform\u2019s ongoing efforts to keep the issue of missing persons in the public eye and strengthen families\u2019 participation in efforts to search for missing persons, establish the truth, and pursue justice. In June, the platform organized a vigil outside the United Nations office in Qamishli, calling for the fate and whereabouts of all missing persons in Syria to be established. On March 17, 2026, the platform also signed a Memorandum of Understanding<\/a> with the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in Syria (IIMP<\/a>), a United Nations institution, to strengthen cooperation on the issue.<\/p>\n

The platform considers truth, justice, reparation, and the meaningful participation of families to be interconnected priorities in any response to the issue of missing persons in Syria. According to the platform\u2019s latest report<\/a>, continued uncertainty over the fate and whereabouts of missing loved ones is among the factors that have the greatest impact on families\u2019 lives. Knowing the truth emerged as their foremost priority after years of searching and waiting.<\/p>\n

The Missing Persons\u2019 Families Platform in North and East Syria (MPFP-NES<\/a>) is a civil framework bringing together families of missing, forcibly disappeared, and disappeared persons. Established<\/a> in June 2024, the platform aims to organize families and empower them to represent themselves and participate meaningfully in efforts to search for missing persons, establish the truth, and pursue justice, including by contributing to the design of relevant policies and mechanisms. The platform is guided by the principles of inclusion, non-discrimination, and accountability. It has more than 800 members from families of missing persons associated with different parties to the conflict and from diverse backgrounds.<\/p>\n

August 30 is observed each year as the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearance<\/a>, established by the United Nations General Assembly to raise awareness of the crime of enforced disappearance and the suffering of victims and their families, as well as families\u2019 right to know the truth. The day has particular significance in 2026, which marks 20 years since the adoption of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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The waiting will not end, and the calls for truth will not stop until the fate and whereabouts of every missing person are known.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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For further information, please contact The Missing Persons’ Families Platform in North and East Syria (MPFP-NES<\/a>):<\/p>\n