Searching for Syria has disappeared – New York Times

Taher al-Zain has come to this hospital in the Syrian capital in search of his father, Mohamed. The lawyer and father of five disappeared 12 years ago and is among tens of thousands of Syrians who have gone missing during the country's civil war. Thousands of political prisoners have been freed across Syria since the ouster of President Bashar Al-Assad's regime on December 8. Ahmed Abu Seif was one of them. As the bodies of those who died in prison are found, they will be taken to hospitals across the country. Taher examines pictures of the deceased on the wall, looking for a sign of his father. Among the crowd are supporters of Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, the rebel group that now controls much of the country. Taher's last stop is the infamous Sednaya prison on the outskirts of Damascus. It is believed that thousands of people were executed and tortured here over the years. Taher and others have come every day to search for evidence of their missing loved ones in the scraps of prison documents left behind by the previous government. As Syria enters an uncertain new phase, the families of those who disappeared feel trapped in the past. Without answers, they continue to search for their loved ones and for closure.