International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members

The Syrian Future Movement commemorates, on this day, March 25, 2026, the International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Human Rights Staff, an annual occasion established by the United Nations to honor those who have been deprived of their freedom or disappeared while carrying out their humanitarian duty in service of the most vulnerable and fragile communities.

The Syrian Future Movement believes that this day holds profound symbolic significance, as it marks the anniversary of the abduction of journalist Alec Collett on March 25, 1985. Collett, an employee of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), remained missing for twenty-four years until his body was found in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon in 2009. Collett’s case exemplifies the suffering of thousands of international staff and humanitarian workers who pay a heavy price with their freedom and lives in order to deliver aid and protect the vulnerable.

The Syrian Future Movement views this occasion as a crucial opportunity to reaffirm that protecting human rights defenders and humanitarian workers is a moral and legal responsibility incumbent upon the transitional authorities and the entire international community. Based on its founding vision, which considers human dignity an inviolable red line, the Syrian Future Movement believes that protecting detained and missing staff members is not merely a humanitarian issue, but a true test of the state’s and the international community’s commitment to the principles of international humanitarian law.

The Syrian Future Movement believes that the real dangers faced by humanitarian workers in the field, as highlighted in the message of UN Secretary-General António Guterres on this day—in which he noted that 179 UN staff members were arrested or detained last year, with 118 still in detention—serve as a stark reminder of the suffering endured by humanitarian workers inside Syria.

The Syrian Future Movement, which believes that accountability is essential to combating corruption and restoring the people’s plundered rights, sees this international occasion as a clear call to uncover the fate of all the disappeared and forcibly disappeared, and to hold accountable all those proven to be involved in grave violations against humanitarian workers.

The Syrian Future Movement believes that this day cannot be commemorated without addressing the reality of the missing and abducted in Syria, whose plight remains an open wound in the nation’s body. The Syrian Future Movement places the following documented cases on the table of national responsibility:

1. The case of humanitarian worker Hamza Al-Amarin (Syrian Civil Defense – As-Suwayda)
   Humanitarian worker Hamza Al-Amarin, head of the Emergency Response Center of the Syrian Civil Defense in the city of Izraa (Daraa countryside), is a stark example of the targeting of humanitarian workers.
   On July 16, 2025, Hamza Al-Amarin was tasked by the Syrian Civil Defense with evacuating United Nations staff in the city of As-Suwayda, in response to a UN request for assistance following clashes that erupted that month. While carrying out this humanitarian mission, he was abducted by local armed groups operating under the name “National Guard.” Amnesty International called on the armed groups in Suwayda in October 2025 to release him immediately.
2. Cases of abducted journalists in Raqqa:
   On January 18, 2026, the day Syrian government forces took control of Raqqa, journalists Eva Maria Michelmann (German national) and Ahmed Bulad (Turkish-Kurdish national) disappeared while covering events on the ground for the ETHA news agency and Özgür TV.
   The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called on the Syrian authorities to urgently disclose their whereabouts and ensure their safety. A source in the Syrian Ministry of Information stated that the ministry had no information about them.
3. Missing Persons in Aleppo’s Kurdish Neighborhoods:
   The organization “Syrians for Truth and Justice” documented the disappearance of 120 civilians from the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods of Aleppo, with all contact lost since the events that took place in the area in early January 2026. Among the missing are 8 women and 4 children, in addition to cases of multiple members of the same family disappearing.
   One of the most prominent cases is that of Ramadan Youssef’s family of six (Ramadan, his wife, and their four children), who disappeared on January 9, 2026, while trying to leave the neighborhood.
4. Children of the Disappeared and Forcibly Disappeared:
   In a related context, the Syrian Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor revealed the registration of 314 children of detainees and forcibly disappeared persons who had been placed in care facilities during the former regime. The committee tasked with determining the fate of the children of detainees and the disappeared announced the reunification of 160 children with their families, while work continues to document other cases.

Based on these documented facts, the Syrian Future Movement establishes four fundamental pillars in its approach to the issue of detained and missing personnel:

First Pillar: Uncovering the Truth is a National Duty:

The era of tyranny in Syria cannot be overcome without a clear acknowledgment of the magnitude of the crime committed against tens of thousands of missing and disappeared persons. The Syrian Future Movement believes that uncovering the fate of the disappeared is a paramount national priority that cannot be postponed, and any genuine political transition must begin with acknowledging this tragedy and committing to uncovering the truth.

Second Pillar: Protecting Humanitarian Workers:

A new Syria cannot be built without a safe environment for humanitarian workers, whether from international or local organizations. The Syrian Future Movement affirms that protecting humanitarian workers is a fundamental condition for the success of any relief and reconstruction effort.

Third Pillar: Accountability:

Impunity is the primary reason for the continuation of violations. Therefore, the Syrian Future Movement adopts the principle of comprehensive accountability for all those proven to be involved in serious violations against humanitarian and civilian workers, establishing the principle of…

Transitional Justice.

Fourth Pillar: Solidarity with Victims’ Families:

The suffering of the families of the missing and detained is an open wound in the body of Syrian society. The Syrian Future Movement emphasizes the necessity of providing psychological, social, and material support to the families of victims and engaging the international community in this humanitarian and moral responsibility.

Based on this vision, and in consideration of the delicate transitional phase that Syria will undergo after liberation on December 8, 2024, the Syrian Future Movement recommends the following:

1. Establishing an independent national commission for the missing and abducted. This commission, which must be independent and transparent, will be responsible for documenting cases of missing and abducted persons from all sides and working to uncover their fate in coordination with relevant international bodies such as the International Committee of the Red Cross and international human rights mechanisms. The commission should also include representatives of victims’ families and civil society organizations.
2. Incorporate the protection of humanitarian workers into national legislation and work towards enacting a
   national law that criminalizes targeting humanitarian workers and facilities, in accordance with the provisions of international humanitarian law, particularly the four Geneva Conventions and their two Additional Protocols. This law should also include protection for journalists, activists, and human rights defenders.
3. Activate accountability mechanisms by supporting the efforts of international mechanisms concerned with holding perpetrators of international crimes accountable, foremost among them the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM) and the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Syria, while ensuring that these mechanisms also address violations of the rights of humanitarian workers and journalists.
4. Launch a national campaign to document cases of missing persons and establish a unified national database of missing and abducted persons, in cooperation with civil society organizations and victims’ families, to serve as a reliable resource for national and international efforts to determine their fate and achieve justice. The database should include data on all documented cases, including those mentioned in this statement.
5. Strengthening the role of local and international humanitarian organizations and working to create a safe environment for their operations in Syria, including facilitating their access to areas in need and ensuring that their staff are not subjected to any form of threat or arbitrary arrest. The necessary protection must also be provided to members of the Syrian Civil Defense (White Helmets) who continue their humanitarian work under extremely dangerous conditions.
6. Launching psychosocial support programs for the families of the missing, by allocating national and international resources to support the families of the missing and detained, including providing psychological, social, and economic assistance, and working to integrate this issue into national reconciliation and transitional justice programs. These programs should include the families of all missing persons, regardless of their affiliations.

The Syrian Future Movement affirms that honoring the victims of tyranny begins with a commitment to uncovering the truth and achieving justice. Just as the United Nations has dedicated this day to honoring detained and missing staff members who sacrificed their freedom and lives in the service of humanity, we in Syria are called upon today, more than ever, to work diligently to:

1. Uncover the fate of tens of thousands of missing and abducted individuals who remain unaccounted for, most notably Hamza al-Amarin, journalists Michelman and Boulad, the families of missing persons from Aleppo, and others.
2. Hold accountable all those involved in grave violations against Syrians, including the targeting of humanitarian workers, journalists, and activists, regardless of who is responsible.
3. Build a state of law and institutions that protect the rights of all Syrians, ensure their suffering is not repeated, and provide a safe environment for humanitarian workers.

As we remember today all detained and missing staff members around the world, we raise our voices to affirm that no one is forgotten, and that justice is the only path to lasting peace.