Nearly 100 Abducted or Missing in Syria Since January, UN Rights Office Says

Nearly 100 people have been abducted or have disappeared in Syria since the start of 2025, the UN human rights office (OHCHR) said on Friday, warning that reports of new enforced disappearances continue to emerge.

“Eleven months since the fall of the former government in Syria, we continue to receive worrying reports about dozens of abductions and enforced disappearances,” said Thameen Al-Keetan, spokesperson for the OHCHR, during a press briefing in Geneva.

According to the agency, at least 97 people have been recorded as abducted or missing since January, though the true number may be higher due to difficulties in verifying reports. The latest cases come on top of more than 100,000 people who vanished during the 13-year rule of ousted President Bashar Assad.

Assad was overthrown last year by Islamist rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham after a rapid 11-day offensive that ended Syria’s long civil war. Since his fall, many Syrians have demanded justice for abuses committed under his regime, particularly within the country’s notorious prison system.

While some families have reunited with missing relatives, the OHCHR noted that thousands still have no information about the fate of their loved ones. The fragile security situation — marked by renewed violence in coastal regions and in the southern city of Sweida — continues to hamper search efforts, with witnesses reportedly facing threats for cooperating with the UN.

The rights office highlighted the case of Syria Civil Defense volunteer Hamza Al-Amarin, who disappeared on July 16 while helping with a humanitarian evacuation during clashes in Sweida. It called on all parties in Syria to respect international humanitarian law.

In May, Syria’s transitional presidency announced plans to establish commissions for justice and missing persons to investigate crimes committed during the Assad family’s decades-long rule.