The Syrian Future Movement is closely following the decision issued by the Syrian Bar Association on Monday, May 4, 2026, to form a specialized legal committee to pursue the cases of missing persons and represent the families of victims and those affected, under a free and official power of attorney. This will be done in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice, the Transitional Justice Commission, and the Commission for Missing Persons. The Bar Association emphasized the necessity of providing legal support to the families of the missing and working with a spirit of professional and humanitarian responsibility to achieve justice and redress for the victims.
It is worth noting that a report issued by the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) on May 20, 2025, indicates that the estimated number of missing persons in Syria reaches 200,000, a figure that rises, according to some estimates, to 250,000.
The Syrian Future Movement commends this significant step by the Bar Association, considering it a professional and humanitarian initiative that reflects the Syrian civil society’s awareness of its responsibilities during the political transition. This initiative represents the first practical step towards breaking the official legal monopoly and becoming an instrument of international criminal justice by engaging directly with the people. It also addresses a major legal gap (the absence of free legal representation) and responds to the pleas of thousands of Syrian families awaiting the truth.
Furthermore, this initiative embodies the spirit of cooperation between state institutions (the Ministry of Justice, the Transitional Justice Commission, and the Commission for Missing Persons) and independent professional bodies (the Bar Association), thus setting a model for national partnership in building a state governed by the rule of law.
The Syrian Future Movement reiterates the points made in its report on the International Day for the Right to the Truth, published on its official website on March 24, 2026, stating that “revealing the truth, providing redress for victims, and preserving their dignity are fundamental pillars for any successful political transition in Syria today, as the country undergoes a fragile transitional phase that requires a delicate balance between justice and national stability.”
The Syrian Future Movement also recalls its report entitled “Managing the Files of Victims and Missing Persons,” issued on December 6, 2025, which called for the establishment of a supreme national committee comprising the Ministry of Justice and relevant authorities to manage this file in an organized and documented manner.
The Syrian Future Movement also cites the “United Nations Report on the Path of Transitional Justice in Syria,” issued on April 15, 2026, which warned that “truth and justice are a national duty, and knowing the fate of the missing is a moral and historical obligation that cannot be postponed.”
The Syrian Future Movement emphasizes that the mandate of this committee should not be limited to pursuing cases before the Syrian judiciary only, but should also include cases of enforced disappearance perpetrated by all parties to the conflict, the apparatus of the former regime and its militias, as well as disappearances in areas that were outside government control (such as areas controlled by ISIS, the Syrian Democratic Forces, and all other factions) to ensure comprehensive justice.
The committee should also include representatives from the Ministry of Justice, the Transitional Justice Commission, the Commission on Missing Persons, the Independent Institution on Missing Persons, and local human rights organizations to ensure diverse perspectives and foster public trust.
The Syrian Future Movement also calls for the committee to have access to relevant security and military archives pertaining to missing persons, and to cooperate with the Independent Institution on Missing Persons (IIMP) and the International Investigative Mechanism (IIIM), benefiting from their technical expertise.
The Syrian Future Movement commends the National Commission for Transitional Justice for announcing the establishment of a joint working group with a UN delegation last February. This group will serve as a coordination framework to support the transitional justice process. The head of the Commission discussed with the UN delegation on Saturday, May 2, 2026, ways to enhance joint coordination and the importance of integration between national and international bodies. We believe these initiatives represent a promising regional and international framework, provided they are translated into practical mechanisms that directly impact the lives of affected families.
The Syrian Future Movement warns of the grave challenges facing the work of this committee and other efforts in the transitional justice process, as previously highlighted in the UN report published on our website on April 15, 2026. These challenges include: social stigma as the greatest obstacle preventing survivors from testifying; weak institutional capacities within the medical, forensic, and judicial systems; and declining international funding, which threatens the loss of evidence, alienates survivors themselves, and erodes early trust in emerging institutions.
The Syrian Future Movement emphasizes that effectively activating the Bar Association’s committee requires ensuring adequate funding, protecting prosecution witnesses and lawyers from any security harassment, and addressing the social stigma associated with missing persons cases.
The Syrian Future Movement reiterates its full support for every effort aimed at achieving transitional justice and uncovering the truth. It calls upon the Syrian government and relevant authorities to provide the Bar Association’s committee with all necessary facilities, supply it with all available information and data, and work towards drafting a law on missing persons that conforms to international standards, guarantees families’ rights to information and compensation, and criminalizes enforced disappearance.
The Syrian Future Movement also calls for a comprehensive national conference on the missing, with the participation of all national and international parties, to formulate an integrated strategy. The new Syria that we are all working for will not be built on forgetting, but on truth, recognition, and justice that befits the blood of the victims and the sacrifices of our people.
