At least 100,000 Syrians were disappeared by the Assad regime, leaving their families searching desperately for answers. In a Damascus hospital, the victims’ memories are erased, and their identities lost.
The Mujtahid Hospital basement is a scene of hopelessness as people search for lost relatives among the forgotten faces. A young man with jet-black hair crouches on the floor, his eyes calm but distant, as if he’s daydreaming. Despite attempts to convince him to look up, he stares through them.
Hospital staff say the victims were tortured at notorious prisons like Sednaya, where identities are erased and memories lost. Families come to claim their loved ones, only to discover they’re not who they thought. In some cases, multiple people believe a patient is their relative or son.
The Assad regime detained or disappeared over 136,000 people since March 2011. With al-Assad’s departure, families have finally begun searching for answers about their lost loved ones. Mass graves are being uncovered, but figuring out who’s inside remains a daunting task.
According to Fadel Abdulghany, executive director of the Syrian Network for Human Rights, “the majority of these individuals have tragically perished under torture.” The Syrian healthcare system is doing what it can, with 36 corpses from Harasta Hospital near Damascus recently arriving at Mujtahid. Despite efforts, the task ahead is massive.
Thousands of families come daily to search for their missing relatives among the unidentified corpses. For Adnan Khdair and his relatives, searching for five missing people has been a long and emotional journey. Without news on whether their loved ones are alive or dead, they’re suffering.
The case of the young man with memory loss serves as a reminder of the Assad regime’s brutal tactics. Despite efforts to identify him, it’s revealed that there’s no scar on his chest – a clue left behind by surgery. His story highlights the desperation and hopelessness faced by families searching for answers in a system that seems determined to erase their loved ones’ identities.
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2024/12/17/syrians-damascus-hospital-disappeared