Search for Syria’s missing people – New York Times

Taher al-Zain came to this hospital in the Syrian capital looking for his father, Mohammed. The lawyer and father of five disappeared 12 years ago, one of tens of thousands of Syrians who went missing during the civil war. Thousands of political prisoners have been released across Syria since the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad’s government on December 8. Ahmed Abu Seif was one of them. When the bodies of people who die in prison are recovered, they are taken to hospitals across the country. Taher examines the photographs of the deceased on the wall, looking for any trace of his father. Some in the crowd were supporters of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the rebel group that currently controls much of the country. Taher’s final destination 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 travel here daily to search for evidence of missing loved ones in scraps of prison documents left behind by the previous government. As Syria enters a new phase of uncertainty, families of the disappeared feel trapped in the past. Without answers, they continue to search for their loved ones and seek closure.