Syria Revolt Brings Hope for Families of Missing Lebanese
The seven-month-old revolt in neighboring Syria has given hope to Lebanese families trying to find what happened to thousands of loved ones who disappeared during their country's civil war and are believed dead or held in Syrian jails.
"For the first time in many, many years, it's a win-win situation for us -- for all the families of the victims," said Ghazi Aad, head of SOLIDE, a group that for years has been lobbying for Lebanese political prisoners in Syrian jails.
"If the regime falls, detainees will be released and archives and records will no longer be under that regime's control," he told Agence France Presse.
"And even if President Bashar Assad stays, he will be under massive pressure to clean up his human rights record."
For over 20 years, more than 600 families -- Lebanese and Palestinian, Muslim and Christian -- have demanded authorities reveal the fate of thousands of political prisoners believed to have disappeared at the hands of Syrian troops who entered Lebanon shortly after the outbreak of the 1975-1990 civil war.
Successive Lebanese governments have made apparent attempts to address the issue, even including it in cabinet programs. But families of the victims say their appeals have been met with apathy from authorities.
In a bid to draw attention to their plight, the mothers, wives and daughters of those missing for six years have held a sit-in in downtown Beirut, where a tent is permanently set up outside U.N. headquarters.
"I have no hope that Ahmad will turn up alive, and I know in my heart that he is dead," said Amneh Sharkawi, 78, whose son went missing in 1976 aged 19.
"But I want closure," she added, sitting on a makeshift bed in the tent.
"I want my son back, even if they give me his bones in a plastic bag. I want to bury my son near his father."
Rights groups say thousands of men, women and children disappeared at the hands of Hafez Assad, Bashar's predecessor and late father, during the civil war, a spiraling bloodbath which tore Lebanon apart on confessional lines.
Syria withdrew from its smaller neighbor in 2005 under massive international pressure over the assassination of billionaire former premier Rafik Hariri.
The Assad dynasty has long denied holding any prisoners of conscience, but on four different occasions between 1976 and 2000 has released Lebanese who had been held in Syrian prisons.
While Syria declared it no longer had any Lebanese detainees after the prisoner release in 2000, Foreign Minister Walid Muallem made a statement to the contrary during a fence-mending trip to Lebanon in 2008.
"Those who have waited more than 30 years since the start of the (Lebanese) civil war can wait another few weeks," Muallem said at the time.
Today, for Amneh and hundreds of others in her situation, the revolt may prove the key to uncovering the fate of their missing loved ones at long last.
"If the regime falls, many secrets held tightly by security services also become uncovered, either by defectors or because the archives are opened and so forth," said Nadim Houry, senior researcher at Human Rights Watch.
"There is no doubt that the odds of getting answers would be much higher in a post-Assad Syria, if what we've seen in Libya or Egypt is any indication."
Jihad Georges Eid was a 20-year-old soldier in the Lebanese army when Syrian troops took him away on October 13, 1990 -- the day of the last battle in the civil war.
His mother Sonia said she subsequently received conflicting reports on his whereabouts.
"The state ignored all my appeals and it turned its back on a member of its own army," she said. "All these years, I never gave up hope and now, more than ever, I know he's coming back."
13 October 2011, 15:37
05
as i said yesterday there is at least 47 soldiers and officers in saydnaya prison, and unknown alive ones in tedmor, lets hope for the best.
abad luck for them that they have a coward
"general"
13 October 2011, 15:54
50
i'm afraid not. they are probably dead. that's why syrian regime denies everything.
of course the zionist information war department (that is pretending to be lebanese) have nothing to say about that.
if they were lebanese, they would care.
but on such examples you see that they are not.
13 October 2011, 15:56
00
Any serious inquiry about the faith of these people should begin in Lebanon, by those that were collaborating with the Syrians (6000 disappeared persons) and with the israelis (3000 disappearence) withouth forgetting that still 8000 individuals disappeared in the hand of our dear warloards, just name them ... Geagea, Joumblatt, the mourabitoun, PSNS, gardians cedars etc... Just the lebanese army had clean hands at that time!
13 October 2011, 17:32
02
This is the only issue they say they will take care of asap but they neglect after, this is enough we want our old resistance soldiers back (lf) from these prisons. theres still hope until the truth comes out
13 October 2011, 17:55
05
Where are the Hezz? They should be waving their fingers for all Lebanese to be returned. Not just their criminal fake resistance fighters. This is yet another reason ASSad will be hung.
13 October 2011, 18:45
03
I know a man who has been gone for 30 years. Stupid Syrian regime. Jabalamel your still with the same lame brain-washed comments. Stupid government of m8 is only loyal to Assad and isreal.
13 October 2011, 19:50
04
the comment of G says it all, thus no need to comment further.
we wish that at least when things involve suffering people, stupid people would shut up.
13 October 2011, 22:15
02
@aragon: very well said and you gave the proof that jabelamel comments are inconsistent and follows no logic but stupidity... he learned well his lessons from the hezb!
13 October 2011, 22:20
03
aoun told them that there were no lebanese prisoners in syria and that they must turn the page, didn t he?...
or as usual it s a big lie from him and M8....
14 October 2011, 00:42
03
Anyone who turns this subject into a political debate or use it to score a joke or mock the issue and undermine its importance is less than a human. The prisonners in Syria are a national problem that should be handled by the government, denying the existence of these prisonners is a bigger crime by itself. I ask that the parents of these missing people be blessed with incredible patience as they are enduring pain no other person could or should endure. As a father I pray that this will never happen to me and that my kids are always protected against sub humans that place no value on people's lives. There are some embarassing folks on this site that think it's funny or it is OK and I wonder and question the values you were brought up under.
14 October 2011, 01:11
04
The mariidman told Ghazi Aad that there were NO prisoners and NO "makhtufiin" in Syria...on the basis of DNA provided by the syrians !!!!!
14 October 2011, 02:22
02
Its a shame, child murderers like kantaar and rubbish are released from Israel jails are a price no one in Lebanon wants except the Iranians,, while our most respected army boyz are left to rot in Syrian jails. How much more respect would have hizbkezb have, if they actually got our boys back from Syrian's jails, they have the relationship with the Assad gang, while Orange Valium is nothing but a penis sucker.
The ones who were fighting for our honor are forgotten in Syrian jails, while the murderers of children are not. I don't care if they were Israeli children, they are still innocent. The world doesn't make sense! At least Israel values its soldiers, and will bring them home. Where are you Pajama man?
14 October 2011, 10:46
10
when i notices that zionist information war department has nothing to say about this, than they felt obliged to come here and spill their slime ih huge quantitties in order to prove me wrong.
you just proved me right.
