Fayez Abu Eid<\/p>\n
The issue of Palestinian detainees and missing persons in Syria remains one of the most pressing issues in the context of violations related to the ongoing conflict since 2011. While estimates of their numbers vary, independent human rights documentation confirms that hundreds of Palestinian refugees have been subjected to arrest and enforced disappearance, and that a number of them have died under torture inside detention centers, in the absence of comprehensive official data revealing their fate.<\/p>\n
Contents:
\n1. Fayez Abu Eid
\n2 . Researcher Dr. Ahmed Nassim Barqawi
\n3 . Visual Artist Mohammed Al-Rukou’i
\n4 . Visual Artist Ghazi Inaim
\n5 . Cartoonist Hani Abbasiya
\n6 . Playwright and Journalist Bassam Safar
\n7 . Visual Artist Fathi Saleh<\/p>\n
Statistics from local documentation organizations indicate that the arrests targeted a wide range of refugees, including university students, humanitarian workers, paramedics, and media activists. Human rights advocates emphasize that the dual legal status of Palestinians in Syria\u2014as refugees registered with an international agency while simultaneously subject to local laws\u2014has not afforded them additional protection, but rather has made them vulnerable to violations similar to those suffered by Syrians, with even greater legal precariousness.<\/p>\n
*Researcher Dr. Ahmed Nassim Barqawi*<\/p>\n
In this context, thinker, philosopher, and researcher Dr. Ahmed Nassim Barqawi, speaking to the Action Group for Palestinians of Syria, bids farewell to Yarmouk camp, describing it as a “waiting platform for Palestinians.” He recalls the mornings of Fairouz and the evenings of Umm Kulthum, and the crowds on Eid nights as “The Lady” sang, “Tonight is Eid.”<\/p>\n
He describes the camp as Eid mornings, children in costumes, swings, horses, and cotton candy. He also recalls the evening lecture halls at the Ghassan Kanafani Center and the Friday morning gatherings of loved ones.<\/p>\n
But it is also the camp that knew the heavy knocks of the night, when doors were pounded on, asking residents their names. The camp that became a refuge for those fleeing the regime’s torturers. He mentions the story of Ali al-Shahabi, still languishing in the dungeons, and the hundreds of young revolutionaries whose fate remains unknown, their whereabouts a consequence of repression and arrest.<\/p>\n
Barqawi recalls his conversation with his daughter: \u201cDoes a refugee seek refuge, Father?\u201d He replies, \u201cYes, my daughter, a refugee seeks refuge from a death that lurks, from danger that peers from the muzzles of guns, from a prison that hides in the reports of informants and the inhabitants of dark dungeons. But where to? To windows that fear doesn’t close, to doors that the night watchmen don’t knock on, to a language that regains its voice, and to cities that neither know us nor we know them\u2026 waiting to return.\u201d<\/p>\n
This painful farewell was not merely a recounting of memories, but a testament to the tragedy of Palestinians in Syria, foremost among them the plight of Palestinian detainees whose fate intertwined with that of their Syrian brothers in prisons, where thousands remain missing or forcibly disappeared, awaiting the truth and the achievement of justice.<\/p>\n
The thinker Barqawi adds, “Herein lies the role of visual art as an act of resistance against erasure and oblivion. The experience of Palestinian detention in Syria has become a central theme in the works of many artists, who have revisited the destroyed camps, the faces of the disappeared, and the names of the missing, using a visual language that preserves them from a second kind of absence: the absence of memory. Broken bars and chains, weary faces, and eyes yearning for light have become symbols that evoke the suffering of the detainees and bring their plight back to the forefront of the Arab and international public sphere.<\/p>\n
” He emphasizes that art here is no longer a mere aesthetic luxury, but rather a tool for reviving the cause of Palestinian detainees in Syria, solidifying their presence in the collective consciousness, and holding the world accountable for their fate. When the camp is destroyed and the people disappear, the artwork remains a witness that cannot be imprisoned, a voice that cannot be silenced, and a memory that resists lies and falsification.<\/p>\n
Concluding their discussion, the intellectual text is integrated with the artistic work in building a narrative that opposes forgetting; a narrative that says that the refugee is not a passing number, and that the detainee is not a name on a list of missing persons, but a human being with a face, a home, and memories, and that art is able to give this face its permanent presence, until justice is achieved and the doors of return are opened.<\/p>\n
*Visual artist Mohammed Al-Rukou’i*<\/p>\n
Visual artist Mohammed Al-Rukou\u2019i affirmed that art throughout history has always been a living record of beauty and the social and cultural transformations within societies.<\/p>\n
However, according to Al-Rukou\u2019i, the Palestinian situation has granted art a role that transcends mere aesthetic documentation, elevating it to a profound national and cultural responsibility.<\/p>\n
He explained that art in Palestine has been entrusted with the task of defending heritage and folklore, whether through traditional artistic expression or contemporary modern tools, amidst a civilizational struggle against an enemy that has seized land and homes and is attempting to erase identity and steal heritage.<\/p>\n
Rakou’i pointed out that art’s role is not limited to defense and preservation, but extends to producing a renewed artistic discourse that keeps pace with the times, while remaining rooted in cultural origins. In his view, modernization does not mean severing ties with identity, but rather re-presenting it with a contemporary vision that strengthens its presence and continuity. He also emphasized that art has been strongly present in defending the cause of prisoners through artworks that embody their suffering and celebrate their legendary steadfastness, considering these works to be part of the national and visual memory of the Palestinian people. He concluded his statement by noting that one of his paintings, created inside the prison, embodies this human and national dimension, affirming that personal experience is transformed through art into a broader message that expresses both pain and hope.<\/p>\n
*Visual artist Ghazi Anaim*<\/p>\n
For seventy-five years, Palestinian visual art has been a powerful form of resistance, an effective means of exposing the practices of the occupation and documenting its crimes. Since the Nakba, and throughout all the pivotal moments, Palestinian visual artist Ghazi Inaim has affirmed that Palestinian visual art has, for over seventy-five years, been one of the most important tools of cultural resistance, a vital means of exposing the practices of the occupation and documenting its crimes against the Palestinian people. Inaim explained that Palestinian art, from the Nakba to the present moment, including the ongoing war of extermination on the Gaza Strip, has remained a living testament to the suffering and resilience of the Palestinians. Through painting, calligraphy, and color, artists have conveyed the details of daily pain and contributed to archiving national memory in a visual form capable of enduring and influencing generations.<\/p>\n
He pointed out that the field of visual arts has transformed into a cultural platform parallel to political and revolutionary platforms, successfully conveying the Palestinian cause to the world from a humanitarian and documentary perspective. Visual symbols in paintings have played a pivotal role in solidifying national identity, such as the rifle, the Palestinian flag, the keffiyeh, the olive tree, the cactus, the orange, and the key, in addition to mosques, churches, and embroidered motifs that reflect the depth of Palestinian heritage and its connection to the right of return.<\/p>\n
Regarding the issue of prisoners, Inaim explained that the works of Palestinian artists in the fields of photography, posters, and sculpture have documented the suffering of detainees inside Israeli prisons, embodying their struggle with their captors and their constant yearning for freedom. He added that many visual symbols have become firmly established icons in the Palestinian consciousness, such as iron bars, broken chains, the white dove, and fists raised towards the sun, all of which symbolize freedom and hope.<\/p>\n
He also pointed out that this artistic documentation is not limited to Palestinian detainees inside Israel, but extends to include the suffering of Palestinian detainees in Syria, who faced harsh detention conditions within complex political and security contexts. The suffering of many of them intersected with the fate of their Syrian brethren in the face of oppression, imprisonment, and loss. This painful experience has been reflected in the works of a number of artists as part of the contemporary Palestinian memory linked to its Arab context.<\/p>\n
Inaim concluded his statement by emphasizing that Palestinian visual art has succeeded in transforming the suffering of detainees\u2014wherever they may be\u2014into a humanistic visual language that speaks to the global conscience, defends the values of freedom and dignity, and contributes to strengthening the resilience of the Palestinian people and their adherence to their right to life, justice, and return.<\/p>\n
*Cartoonist Hani Abbasi*<\/p>\n
For me, I read the history of peoples and civilizations through art, not just through history books. I believe that art in all its forms\u2014painting, sculpture, novels, stories, music, and song\u2014is the true reflection of the spirit of history, alongside science and intellectual output. It is the original, enduring legacy, the mirror that reflects the conscience and experiences of peoples. We learn about ancient Egyptian civilization through its magnificent art, which documented that historical era, and the same applies to various civilizations throughout the ages. From this perspective, I can say that the art that took it upon itself to document the difficult historical moment that Syria experienced under the Assad regime represents a living testament to that period.<\/p>\n
For me, there were two main paths I worked on with great interest:
\nThe first was the path of the Syrian revolution and the people’s aspirations for freedom and liberation from injustice and tyranny.<\/p>\n
The second issue was the plight of those detained by the regime, one of the most sensitive and painful. We are talking about hundreds of thousands who were arrested and hundreds of thousands who died under torture. It is an extremely difficult issue, but at the same time, it is a moral and revolutionary duty.<\/p>\n
I believe that art must be a voice for the detainees and their families, an image presented to the world, a cry that cannot be silenced. Therefore, this issue was\u2014and remains\u2014at the heart of my artistic work, because the wound is still open, and the file has not yet been closed.<\/p>\n
Like the Syrian people, Palestinians in Syria have paid a heavy price for their support of the revolution. Their camps were destroyed, their neighborhoods besieged, and thousands of their sons and daughters were killed by shelling, starvation, or in detention, just as happened to their Syrian brothers and sisters. Thousands of missing persons still await the revelation of their fate, a crucial element of the transitional justice process, which also includes prosecuting and holding accountable all those who committed crimes against the Syrian people.<\/p>\n
*Playwright and journalist Bassam Safar*<\/p>\n
Bassam Safar affirmed that his first arrest on Land Day, March 30, 1986, following his participation in a demonstration that began on Palestine Street, marked a pivotal moment in his personal and cultural journey. He noted that the experience was not merely personal, but also linked to a deeper awareness of the Palestinian prisoners’ cause and their role in the struggle.<\/p>\n
Safar explained that his years of imprisonment, particularly in Saydnaya Prison during the late 1980s and early 1990s, revealed to him the extent of the cultural and intellectual presence of Palestinian prisoners, who kept their cause alive through discussions, reading, and creative work. He added that the availability of books and cultural activities within the prison provided a space for preserving national identity and safeguarding collective memory.<\/p>\n
He pointed out that art, particularly theater and literature, played a fundamental role in bolstering resilience. Theatrical works inspired by Arabic literary texts were presented, contributing to transforming the prison into a space for cultural expression and moral resistance. He considered this creativity under conditions of confinement a clear message that culture is capable of protecting national consciousness from erosion.<\/p>\n
Bassam Safar concluded his statement by emphasizing that the experience of imprisonment, despite its harshness, proved that art is not a luxury, but rather a tool for preserving the Palestinian cause and strengthening the unity of the prisoners, and that the belief in freedom and justice remains alive as long as the word and the idea are able to endure.<\/p>\n
*Visual artist Fathi Saleh*<\/p>\n
Visual artist Fathi Saleh emphasizes that the issue of Palestinian detainees in Syria is not merely a matter of statistics in reports, but rather a human story that embodies both pain and hope, deserving to be told and preserved in collective memory.<\/p>\n
In his recent works, a deep crimson color flows across the darkness of the canvas, like blood carving its path through a space heavy with silence, while a faint light filters through from behind bars, a symbolic gesture of an unquenchable hope. These paintings depict emaciated bodies worn down by oppression, pale faces etched with suffering, and sunken eyes still yearning for freedom.<\/p>\n
These works address the tragedy of Palestinian detainees held in unmarked and unidentified dungeons and cellars, where absence becomes a powerful visual presence, and silence a silent cry against oblivion. Here, art is not a visual luxury or an embellishment of reality, but a living testimony and a moral responsibility, summoning the power of color to bear the weight of the story.<\/p>\n
Saleh points out that art in this context transcends the boundaries of aesthetics, becoming a clear humanitarian stance, a voice for those whose voices have been silenced, and a memory of resistance against erasure and obliteration. Color becomes an alternative language when words fail, a tool to expose the most heinous practices that haunt the human conscience, and to preserve the cause of Palestinian detainees in the public
\nconsciousness, both in the Arab world and internationally.<\/p>\n
The artist concludes his statement by emphasizing that creativity is a responsibility, and that a painting can be a historical document as much as it is a work of art, contributing to the preservation of human dignity and affirming that the issue of detainees will remain alive in our conscience as long as there is art that refuses silence and insists on bearing witness.<\/p>\n
*Ultimately, it can be said that art does not replace the legal process, but it constitutes a moral force and symbolic pressure that contribute to preventing the case from being closed or marginalized. The song, the poem, the documentary film, and’ the painting are all tools for protecting memory from erosion and enshrining the names of the victims in the public consciousness. Art also forms a bridge bet’ween individual pain and collective conscience, giving the issue of Palestinian detainees in Syria a human dimension that transcends politics. While the legal process remains an indispensable requirement for achieving justice, art retains its role in keeping the names alive, the faces present, and the memory vigilant until the full truth is revealed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Fayez Abu Eid The issue of Palestinian detainees and missing persons in Syria remains one of the most pressing issues in the context of violations related to the ongoing conflict since 2011. While estimates of their numbers vary, independent human rights documentation confirms that hundreds of Palestinian refugees have been subjected to arrest and enforced […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":113142,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[167],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-113141","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-special-reports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/actionpal.org.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113141","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/actionpal.org.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/actionpal.org.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/actionpal.org.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/actionpal.org.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=113141"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/actionpal.org.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113141\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":113143,"href":"https:\/\/actionpal.org.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113141\/revisions\/113143"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/actionpal.org.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/113142"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/actionpal.org.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=113141"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/actionpal.org.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=113141"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/actionpal.org.uk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=113141"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}