The Forcibly Detained in Idlib Prisons are a Priority, Mr. Minister
The News:
The Syrian Ministry of Justice has renewed its firm position regarding the file of the forcibly disappeared, considering this issue a pressing national priority that requires serious action. This came in a statement issued by the ministry on the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with Missing Persons and the Forcibly Disappeared.
The Minister of Justice, Mazhar Al-Awais, described the issue as one of the most heinous crimes committed by the ousted regime of Bashar al-Assad, stressing that it has profound humanitarian dimensions that cannot be ignored. He also stressed the Ministry's commitment to revealing the fate of the missing, holding the perpetrators accountable, and taking legal measures to ensure reparations and alleviate the suffering of the victims' families, adding that the institutional reform process is underway to enhance the Ministry's ability to address these files within the framework of the rule of law and transitional justice, in coordination with the relevant national institutions, foremost of which is the National Commission for the Missing.
Comment:
For decades, the file of the forcibly disappeared has been a stranglehold on the Assad regime, and this file has been one of the most embarrassing issues for it in international forums and situations. Rather, it was one of the most prominent reasons for the popular discontent that sparked a massive revolution that lasted for more than a decade. In every demonstration, the people of the revolution chanted the names of their missing sons; and at every stand, they raised their pictures demanding that their fate be revealed and that they be released. This file was additional fuel feeding the embers of the revolution.
Today, as you, Mr. Minister, have tasted the bitterness of prisons and seen the actions of the oppressors, beware of taking the same path or being the cause of opening a new door of injustice. The file of prisoners of opinion in Idlib is a large and dangerous file, so for what sin are the preachers, the Mujahideen, and the youth being disappeared from their families?! Is it simply because they demanded the liberation of the political and military decision, which is the demand you have repeatedly acknowledged in councils? Or because they called for opening fronts and liberating the country?! Is this considered a serious crime that warrants storming homes and arresting their owners in scenes that do not differ from what the regime that people revolted against used to do?!
It has become imperative for you today to close this file and put an end to the policy of enforced disappearance in Idlib before you talk about the crimes of those who lived in their homes and saw with your own eyes how God broke their backs and made them examples. It is painful to see mediations that bring out figures who have had relationships with Jews, while the free and pure remain behind bars! It is provocative to say to those who killed us, destroyed our homes, and violated our honor: "Go, you are free"! What logic is this?!
What is even more terrible is that some of them appear in video recordings boasting that they have released dozens of intelligence officers because they "reconciled"! What did they reconcile on?! Was the dispute between them and the people merely a dispute over money or land?! It was a conflict over religion, dignity, and blood, and it should not be reduced to these suspicious settlements.
I will not delve into the phrases and terms that were said and that I previously rejected as "ignorant," but I will suffice by saying: Release the free and pure, the preachers and Mujahideen who have been forcibly disappeared in Idlib prisons, turn over a new leaf, and take heed of those who preceded you from those upon whom God's decree has been carried out. In that is a lesson and a reminder.
Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir
Abdu Al-Dalli
Member of the Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir in the Wilayah of Syria