The Syrian Foreign Minister, Asaad al-Shibani, announced the establishment of a High Commission to address the issue of missing and forcibly disappeared persons, during a recorded speech before the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Al-Shibani stated that the new government is committed to achieving transitional justice and ensuring the rights of the victims, the missing, and the living, considering that the absence of loved ones is “an unbearable torment,” noting that nearly all Syrian families have endured this painful experience.

Al-Shibani explained that Syrians have lived for over five decades under authoritarian rule, during which they faced repression, torture, and human rights violations. He pointed out that the previous regime used barrel bombs, chemical weapons, and cluster munitions against civilians, turning prisons into centers of torture and death.

He added that survivors from detention centers have spoken about horrifying practices such as electric shocks, starvation, and sexual violence, while forcibly displaced individuals have lived scattered in exile without knowing their fate or having the possibility of return.

He affirmed that Syria has entered a new phase in which “the will of the people has triumphed,” but it faces significant challenges on political, humanitarian, and service levels, emphasizing the need to overcome the impacts of the “heavy legacy” left by the previous regime.

According to al-Shibani, the Syrian government has started implementing measures to achieve justice, including allowing international investigation committees to enter the country for the first time, welcoming the visit of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which he described as historical, in addition to cooperating with the International, Independent Mechanism established by the United Nations, affirming the government’s commitment to pursuing accountability for past crimes.

He stressed the importance of ensuring that violations do not recur, asserting that the Syrian people deserve a homeland in which their right to freedom and dignity is respected.

He called on the international community to support the government’s efforts in achieving transitional justice and to work towards ending the suffering of Syrians that has continued for more than 14 years.

On February 17 of this month, the Free Syrian Lawyers Syndicate, under the sponsorship of the Syrian Bar Association, organized the “Syrian Conference for Transitional Justice, Mechanisms for Achieving Transitional Justice to Build a State Based on the Rule of Law and Respect for Human Rights.”

A few days ago, the interim Damascus government held the National Dialogue Conference, attended by about 600 Syrian figures, and issued a final statement that included 18 points.

One of the points included achieving transitional justice by holding accountable those responsible for crimes and violations, reforming the judicial system, enacting necessary legislation, and establishing appropriate mechanisms to ensure justice and restore rights.