09 NOV THE UN HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IS CALLING FOR AN INTERNATIONAL MANDATE TO CLARIFY THE FATE OF THE DETAINEES.

Support has recently risen in the United Nations for the voices of the families of the victims in their demands for a charter of truth and justice, and their opinion on possible solutions to access to justice in the case of their loved ones, especially the recent meetings of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on the Syrian issue, in addition to the general assembly meeting.

Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, called for the creation of an independent mechanism with international jurisdiction to clarify the fate and whereabouts of missing persons, identify human remains and provide support to their relatives.  

“We must all listen to the voices of survivors and victims, and to the stories of those who have now been silent forever. “Michelle    Bachelet’s words were delivered at the 48th session of the Human Rights Council,  after she presented the horrors of the conflict in Syria in numbers, according to a technical report on the statistics of the victims.

350209 of those identified so far, according to the Bachelet report, were killed since the beginning of the movement and turned into a war in Syria between 2011 and 2021, confirming that the statistics of the victims showed that every 13 victims included a child and a woman. Idlib, Hama, and Tartus account for the largest share of the death toll. 

“Behind every recorded death, there is a human being, born free and equal in dignity and rights,” Bachelet said, stressing that this fact is the biggest motivation for her and the task force to continue,  stressing that documenting the deaths directly complements efforts to find out the fate of missing persons and the role of families of missing persons in actively participating with international human rights mechanisms.

Bachelet also stressed in her report that documenting the identity of the victims and the circumstances in which they died is the key to effectively investigating a number of fundamental human rights – to find out the truth, seek accountability and work towards effective redress.

The High Commissioner praised the role played in documenting deaths, which directly complemented efforts to determine the fate of missing persons. In this context, it refers in particular to the families of missing persons and their active participation with international human rights mechanisms.

Bachelet also noted that the violence suffered by Syrians to this day remains endless and that recent events, particularly in Daraa and its surroundings, have led to indiscriminate fighting and shelling that have exposed civilians to more violence.

In addition to the recent meeting of the General Assembly, the last three meetings of the General Assembly all stressed the importance of establishing an independent and sovereign international mechanism to get to the truth in the case of the forcibly disappearing in Syria.