Washington, SANA-An investigation by the Wall Street Journal revealed that the Assad regime in Syria abducted hundreds of children, purposely separating them from their families during raids and mass arrests over several years.
The report, based on confidential documents and victim testimonies, in collaboration with the new Syrian government, found that around 3,700 children are still missing after being forcibly taken by the regime.
Some children were sent to orphanages between 2014 and 2018, including the Yassin family who disappeared in 2013 after the regime’s forces arrested the mother, Rania al-Abbasi, and her six children.
The investigation uncovered that Rania’s husband was previously arrested, tortured, and killed, with his name appearing in leaked photos of victims from detention centers.
The whereabouts of Rania and her children remained unknown for over a decade until new evidence suggested they might be in orphanages.
Utilizing old recordings and artificial intelligence, efforts were made to identify the missing children, with similarities found between a girl in a propaganda video and one of Rania’s daughters, as well as a boy resembling their son, but DNA tests disproved the matches.
The SOS child welfare organization in Syria denied any connection to Rania’s family, which had recognized the boy.
SOS had received 139 children without official papers during the former regime’s reign, returning most to regime authorities, without disclosing their final outcomes, while advocating against such referrals since 2018.
khadega/Nora/Mazen Eyon
