Published : 08-05-2022
Palestinian prisoners’ families have called on the Palestinian Authority, political factions, and international community to escalate pressure on the Syrian regime in order to free all Palestinians secretly held in prison and reveal the condition and whereabouts of scores of forcibly-disappeared refugees.
Over recent days, prisoners’ families, including Palestinian refugees, continue to assemble in the "President's Bridge" area, awaiting the arrival of buses carrying people who have been held for years in Syria’s infamous prisons, many for participating in the 2011 protests against President Bashar AlAssad.
Other families have gathered for days in Sednaya, north of Damascus, which is home to Syria's largest and most notorious military prison.
Palestinian refugee families expressed fear that their relatives would not be released in the amnesty, saying they have suspicions as to how sincere the Syrian regime could be.
A Palestinian women lying on the ground in the "President's Bridge" area, in the Syrian capital, Damascus, told the Action Group for Palestinians of Syria (AGPS): “I have not returned home for days. I’ve been there from the moment the amnesty entered into effect wishing that my eyes would stumble upon my son whom I have not met for the fourth year”.
The son of another forcibly-disappeared Palestinian refugee said: “We haven’t seen a moment’s rest for days. My family and I continue to go far and wide across Damascus to find our father who has gone missing since 2015.”
Last week, AlAssad issued a decree giving a general amnesty to people convicted on terrorism charges before 30 April 2022. The amnesty excludes acts that have led to killings or kidnappings, and those against whom there are civil personal claims.
Palestinian prisoners’ families have called on the Palestinian Authority, political factions, and international community to escalate pressure on the Syrian regime in order to free all Palestinians secretly held in prison and reveal the condition and whereabouts of scores of forcibly-disappeared refugees.
Over recent days, prisoners’ families, including Palestinian refugees, continue to assemble in the "President's Bridge" area, awaiting the arrival of buses carrying people who have been held for years in Syria’s infamous prisons, many for participating in the 2011 protests against President Bashar AlAssad.
Other families have gathered for days in Sednaya, north of Damascus, which is home to Syria's largest and most notorious military prison.
Palestinian refugee families expressed fear that their relatives would not be released in the amnesty, saying they have suspicions as to how sincere the Syrian regime could be.
A Palestinian women lying on the ground in the "President's Bridge" area, in the Syrian capital, Damascus, told the Action Group for Palestinians of Syria (AGPS): “I have not returned home for days. I’ve been there from the moment the amnesty entered into effect wishing that my eyes would stumble upon my son whom I have not met for the fourth year”.
The son of another forcibly-disappeared Palestinian refugee said: “We haven’t seen a moment’s rest for days. My family and I continue to go far and wide across Damascus to find our father who has gone missing since 2015.”
Last week, AlAssad issued a decree giving a general amnesty to people convicted on terrorism charges before 30 April 2022. The amnesty excludes acts that have led to killings or kidnappings, and those against whom there are civil personal claims.
