{"id":2867,"date":"2025-12-16T10:09:33","date_gmt":"2025-12-16T10:09:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sldp.ngo\/?p=2867"},"modified":"2025-12-16T12:09:13","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T12:09:13","slug":"survivors-lawyers-and-families-of-syrias-disappeared-file-historic-complaint-in-argentina-against-assad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sldp.ngo\/en\/blog\/2867","title":{"rendered":"Survivors, lawyers and families of Syria\u2019s disappeared file historic complaint in Argentina against Assad"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dec 16, 2025 \u00a0 \u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0This post is also available in: Arabic<\/a>
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Media advisory: 16 December 2025<\/p>\n

* Groups call for an investigation into Bashar Al -Assad, Asmaa Al- Assad and key officials for the crime against humanity of enforced disappearance
\n* Argentina uniquely placed to investigate enforced disappearance, including the removal of children from their families and concealment of their identities<\/strong><\/p>\n

Families and survivors of the Truth and Justice Charter (TJC), the Association of Detainees and Missing of Sednaya Prison (ADMSP), and the Syrian Legal Development Programme (SLDP), with the legal support of Estudio Durrieu and their Foundation for International Victims, filed a criminal complaint within Argentina\u2019s federal justice system on 5th December calling for the opening of an investigation into the responsibility of former President Bashar al-Assad, Asma\u2019 al-Assad and key Syrian regime officials for crimes against humanity of enforced disappearance. Today, the groups explain what the case means for search for truth and justice. <\/p>\n

The complaint focuses on crimes against humanity of enforced disappearance, with a particular emphasis on the systematic disappearance of children through arbitrary detention, removal from their families and the long-term concealment of their fate and whereabouts. <\/p>\n

The case is brought under the principle of universal jurisdiction, which empowers Argentina\u2019s federal courts to investigate and prosecute international crimes, regardless of where they were committed or the nationality of perpetrators or victims. Argentina has played a pioneering role in prosecuting crimes of enforced disappearance, including those involving the removal and identity suppression of children. <\/p>\n

Fatima Al Wahidi from the Charter group, mother of Mohannad Omar, who has been forcibly disappeared since 2012, and received documents in November 2025 indicating that he had been executed in Sednaya Prison, said:<\/p>\n

\u201cJust as the mothers and grandmothers of Argentina led the path to justice; defying silence, fear, and denial, and changing history through their struggle, we, the Syrian mothers, follow their footsteps with unwavering faith.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust as we carried the photos of our sons and daughters in every square before the fall of the regime, we will continue our journey today, pursuing the criminals wherever they may be, until we achieve for our children the justice, freedom, and dignity they dreamed of.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sana Kikhia, Executive Director at the Syrian Legal Development Programme (SLDP) said:<\/p>\n

\u201cThis case reflects the essence of transnational judicial solidarity: the understanding that when crimes against humanity are committed, every state has a duty to use all means at its disposal within their jurisdiction, including universal jurisdiction, to support justice efforts, and to ensure there is no safe haven for those responsible and no barrier to truth for survivors. Justice for Syrians is a collective responsibility, and Argentina, rooted in its own leadership in confronting enforced disappearance, can stand as a powerful act of solidarity with Syrian families and the ongoing Syrian-led pursuit of accountability.\u201d<\/p>\n

Malak Awdeh, mother of the child Maher Khankan, who was arrested from his school in 2012, said:<\/p>\n

\u201cMy son\u2019s disappearance from his school desk was not a mysterious fate, but an ongoing crime, a continuous form of cruel and inhuman punishment for both him and me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reem Qari, mother of the child Karim Tarjoman, who was arrested with his father and his father\u2019s friend at a military checkpoint in rural Homs in 2013, said:<\/p>\n

\u201cSince the disappearance of my son Karim when he was only two and a half years old, along with his father at an Assad-regime military checkpoint, I have seen his face in every child I pass, in the streets, the markets, in every place I go. Karim is growing and changing far away from me, while I have not found a single thread that could lead me back to him.\u201d<\/p>\n

The complaint is a part of a broader set of work by families and legal experts, to advance truth and justice for families of the disappeared and of missing children, inside and outside Syria. <\/p>\n

Argentina\u2019s own transitional justice process and the tireless work of the families\u2019 associations in Argentina established groundbreaking jurisprudence and investigative mechanisms for pursuing truth and justice for individuals and children disappeared. <\/p>\n

Wafa Mustafa, Advocacy Manager at The Syria Campaign, and daughter of Ali Mustafa, forcibly disappeared since 2013 said:<\/p>\n

\u201cSince the fall of Assad a year ago, thousands of families have been calling for truth and justice for their loved ones, including families whose children were abducted by the regime and their fate, identities and whereabouts remain unknown. The international community and the interim authorities in Syria must not spare any effort to answer these demands. Justice for the crime of enforced disappearance is essential to ensure that Syria\u2019s future is not built on denial, silence, or impunity.\u201d<\/p>\n

ENDS<\/p>\n

Notes to editors <\/strong><\/p>\n

1. The Truth and Justice Charter is a coalition of victim and family associations advocating for justice and accountability.
\n2. To organize interviews with families, survivors or legal experts please contact:<\/p>\n

For speakers from SLDP, Veronica Bellintani (English\/Arabic\/Spanish): v.bellintani@sldp.ngo<\/a> <\/p>\n

For speakers from the Charter group:Joud al-Hammade (English\/Arabic): joud.alhammadeh@tjcharter.org <\/a> <\/p>\n

For speakers from ADMSP: Hanan Halimah (English\/Arabic): hanan.h@admsp.org<\/a> <\/p>\n

Estudio Durrieu\/Foundation for International Victims (English\/Spanish): tag@victimsinternational.org<\/a> and rdf@durrieu-lex.com<\/a> (legal counsels for the filing parties)<\/p>\n

Or: media@thesyriacampaign.org<\/a><\/p>\n

Reference: https:\/\/thesyriacampaign.org\/survivors-lawyers-and-families-of-syrias-disappeared-file-historic-complaint-in-argentina-against-assad\/<\/a>\n<\/div>\n