Search for disappeared Syrian – The New York Times

Taher al-Zain came to this hospital in the Syrian capital in search of his father, Mohamed. The lawyer and father of five children disappeared 12 years ago and is one of tens of thousands of Syrians missing in the country’s civil war. Thousands of political prisoners have been released across Syria since the overthrow of President Bashar Al-Assad’s regime on December 8. Ahmed Abu Seif is one of them. When the bodies of those who died in prison are found, they will be taken to hospitals across the country. Taher examines the photos of the deceased on the wall, looking for signs of his father. Among the crowd were supporters of Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, the rebel group that now controls much of the country. Taher’s final stop was the notorious Sednaya prison on the outskirts of Damascus. Thousands of people are believed to have been executed and tortured here over the years. Taher and others come here every day to search for evidence of their loved ones’ disappearances in the prison papers left behind by the former government. As Syria enters a new phase of instability, the families of the missing feel trapped in the past. With no answers, they continued to search for their loved ones and ended up.