Search for Syria’s Disappeared – The New York Times

Taher al-Zain has come to this hospital in the Syrian capital in search of his father, Mohamed. The lawyer and father of five disappeared 12 years ago and is one of tens of thousands of Syrians who perished during the country’s civil war. Thousands of political prisoners were released across Syria after the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime on December 8. Ahmed Abu Seif was one of them. As the bodies of those who died in prison are recovered, they are taken to hospitals across the country. Taher inspects photos of the dead man on the wall, looking for a sign of his father. Among the crowd are supporters of Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, the rebel group that now controls much of the country. Taher’s last stop is the infamous 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 come daily to search for clues about their missing loved ones in the scraps of prison documents left behind by the former government. As Syria enters a new and uncertain phase, the families of the disappeared feel trapped in the past. Without answers they continue to search for their loved ones and closure.