Syrian families plead to reveal fate of their loved ones

Syrian activists in Turkey call on all international and humanitarian human rights organizations to move quickly and rescue the remaining detainees in Syrian prisons. The plea comes during a forum dubbed “The Right to Reveal One’s Fate” organized by the Harmoon Center for Contemporary Studies in cooperation with the General Union of Detainees. Many families plead the international community to just be given an answer whether to keep hoping for their loved ones’ return. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad granted a general amnesty for Syrian citizens detained on terrorism-related crimes, except for crimes that resulted in death on April 30th. The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) estimated at least more than 149,000 Syrians were in detention centers or forcibly disappeared. It has documented the release of 193 detainees since May 1st but no information has been provided about the many others who remain locked away. The SNHR said Prison and detention center conditions remained harsh and in many instances were life threatening due to food shortages, gross overcrowding, physical and psychological abuse, and inadequate sanitary conditions and medical care.