Nassar: Necessary to 'know the fate of all Lebanese who disappeared in Syria'

BEIRUT — The Justice Minister, Adel Nassar, insisted Friday on the necessity of "knowing the fate of all Lebanese who disappeared in Syria" and respecting "the right of families to know the fate of their relatives and where they are."

During a meeting with a delegation from the United Nations Independent Institution for Missing Persons in Syria (IIMP), Nassar spoke of a "close cooperation" with the entity. The meeting took place in the presence of the head of the IIMP, Karla Quintana, (Mexico), the official in charge of the Syrian dossier at the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Anne Massaggi, activist Habib Nassar, and the minister's advisor, Lara Saadeh.

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Lebanese missing in Syria: Families' stories of disillusionment

In 2023, despite strong opposition from Bashar al-Assad's regime, the U.N. General Assembly created an independent body to help clarify the fate of thousands who disappeared in Syria over the past 12 years. These include victims of regime repression and others abducted by armed groups, following long-standing appeals from families and human rights organizations.

Human rights groups estimate that around 136,000 people were held in Assad’s prisons, and more than 100,000 Syrians disappeared during the 13-year conflict — many of them inside those same detention centers. Among them were some 700 Lebanese, abducted during Syria’s 30-year military presence in Lebanon, often due to their political views.

After the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024 and the opening of Syrian prisons, many Lebanese families hoped to find missing relatives. But only a dozen returned home alive, having survived the brutal conditions of Syrian detention.