Today, as citizens aspiring to build the future of Syria on the foundations of justice and dignity, and driven by a profound sense of responsibility towards our martyrs, the missing, and their families, we witness the implications of the revelations surrounding the so-called “Damascus Files”—documents, photographs, and testimonies. These revelations have led to a comprehensive journalistic investigation published by dozens of media outlets, followed by widespread media attention and official and semi-official statements regarding the fate of thousands of victims of enforced disappearance.
Therefore, the Syrian Future Movement declares that truth and justice are a national duty, and that knowing the fate of the missing and detained—those who have disappeared unjustly—is a moral and historical obligation that brooks no delay or compromise. We see these files as representing the anguish of hundreds of families and a fundamental right to knowledge and justice for every missing person and martyr.
The Syrian Future Movement respects the pain and sorrow endured by the families of the victims, and we believe that the dignity of the victim—living or deceased—must not be violated, nor the privacy of the families inviolable. Therefore, we strongly reject any indiscriminate publication of photographs, names, or personal details without prior coordination and official consent from the family or their legal representative. The Syrian Future Movement appreciates the position of the Independent Foundation for Missing Persons during this sensitive period, particularly its declaration that informing the families of victims is a top priority and that verification is being conducted with accuracy and professionalism. We also believe that the National Committee for Missing Persons—as the competent official body—is the most appropriate framework for managing this issue, in accordance with standards of protecting dignity and privacy, and the principles of international justice.
The Syrian Future Movement calls on the transitional government to:
Activate a high-level national committee comprising the Ministry of Justice, the National Committee for Missing Persons, the Independent Foundation for Missing Persons, representatives of victims’ families’ associations, and independent legal experts. This committee’s mandate would be to receive all documents and data, verify them, and work to inform families directly and systematically.
Issue an official decree prohibiting the publication of any photos, names, or personal data related to victims or missing persons without the explicit consent of the concerned family, and impose deterrent penalties for any violation.
Provide urgent psychological and material support to families whose fate is officially confirmed, as part of their rights to justice and fairness.
The Syrian Future Movement believes that the new Syria we aspire to is built on truth proclaimed with dignity, on justice for all, and on reconciliation based not on forgetting but on recognition and the restoration of rights to their rightful owners. This is not a moment for revenge, but an opportunity for collective healing, for restoring trust among citizens, and for establishing a state of rights for all Syrians.
The Syrian Future Movement calls on all Syrians to transform this collective pain into a force for construction, one in which we grant rights to the victims of oppression, protect human dignity, and establish a new era where there is no place for impunity, nor for the reopening of wounds and the disfigurement of victims’ suffering.
