Nearly 100 people abducted or disappeared in Syria since January, says UN

Nearly 100 individuals have been recorded as abducted or missing in Syria since the start of the year, with reports of ongoing enforced disappearances, the UN human rights office stated on Friday.

"Eleven months after the fall of the previous government in Syria, we continue to receive concerning reports of numerous abductions and enforced disappearances," said Thameen Al-Keetan, spokesperson for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), during a press briefing in Geneva.

The OHCHR has documented at least 97 people who have gone missing or been abducted since January, although it remains difficult to determine an exact number.

This new tally adds to the more than 100,000 individuals who were reported missing under the regime of ousted President Bashar al-Assad, according to Al-Keetan.

Assad was overthrown by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham last year in a swift 11-day offensive, bringing an end to the 13-year civil war. Many Syrians are seeking justice for the abuses committed under the former regime, particularly within its notorious prison system, which resembled dungeons.

While some families have been reunited with their loved ones since Assad's downfall, many are still unaware of the fate of their relatives, the OHCHR reported.

The human rights office also noted that the unstable security situation in Syria, with ongoing violence in coastal areas and the southern city of Sweida, has hindered efforts to locate and trace missing persons, as some individuals fear speaking out.

Al-Keetan added that some people had been threatened for talking to the UN.

The OHCHR also raised the case of Syria Civil Defence volunteer Hamza Al-Amarin, who disappeared on July 16 while assisting a humanitarian evacuation in Sweida during the violence, and called for adherence to international law.

In May, Syria's presidency announced the creation of commissions for justice and missing persons to investigate crimes committed during the Assad family's rule.

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