A silent crowd gathered in the Syrian capital Damascus on Friday to press the new authorities about the fate of relatives who went missing under Bashar al-Assad and to demand justice for their loved ones. The fate of tens of thousands of people who disappeared under Assad -- who was ousted on December 8 by a coalition of Islamist-led rebels -- is a key question after more than 13 years of devastating civil war that saw upwards of half a million people killed. Dozens of sombre protesters holding pictures of the disappeared assembled in central Damascus's Hijaz Square, an AFP journalist said.
Other placards read: "Revealing the fate of the missing is a right," and "I don't want an unmarked grave for my son, I want the truth. Such a demonstration would have been unthinkable under Assad's rule, but it is now possible under the new authorities dominated by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which led the offensive that overthrew him.
It was a source of joy, but it was also very difficult because we did not see our own loved ones among them," she said. Amani al-Hallaq, 28, was seeking news about where to find the remains of her cousin, who was kidnapped in when he was a student dentist. This is the first time I am protesting," the year-old Amani said.
On Monday, three NGOs called on Syria's new authorities to ensure that proof of the "atrocities" committed under Assad rule was preserved. Activists say Mohammed Kanjo Hassan issued death sentences for thousands of people held in the notorious Saydnaya prison near Damascus.
Saydnaya was the site of extrajudicial executions, torture and forced disappearances, and epitomised the crimes committed against Assad's opponents.
