UN: Over 100,000 Detained or Missing in Syria’s Eight-Year War
Rosemary DiCarlo, Deputy to the UN Secretary-General for Political Affairs, stated on Wednesday, August 7, that over 100,000 people have been detained or gone missing since the Syrian conflict began eight years ago.
According to the Associated Press, Ms. DiCarlo emphasized that the Syrian government’s role in these actions is more significant.
She, however, called on all parties involved in the Syrian war to release prisoners and provide necessary information about the status of detainees and missing persons to their families.
DiCarlo, speaking at a UN Security Council session on the topic of detainees and missing persons from the Syrian conflict, stated that the United Nations has been unable to verify the number of over 100,000 detained and missing persons in Syria because it does not have access to all detention facilities in the country.
She added: “The currently verified information has been prepared by the Commission of Inquiry on Syria, which was commissioned by the UN Human Rights Council and human rights organizations.”
During this Security Council session, several detainees and their families spoke.
Dmitry Polyanskiy, Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia to the United Nations, deemed the statistics and information presented regarding detainees in Syria as “unverifiable” and rejected them.
Dmitry Polyanskiy considered the “politicization of human rights issues” in Syria unacceptable.
Russia’s Deputy Representative added: “We are once again witnessing accusations against one party to the conflict, namely Damascus, while the other side, namely terrorists, are being presented as innocent victims.”
Jonathan Cohen, Chargé d’Affaires of the US delegation to the United Nations, also stated during this Security Council session that since 2011, 215,000 people have been detained by the Syrian government.
He added: “Currently, nearly 128,000 people are held in Syrian government prisons.”
Mr. Cohen clarified: “One of the great tragedies of the Syrian war is the issue of detainees and missing persons.”
Source: Radio Farda
