On Monday 23rd September at the 57th Regular Session of Human Rights Council in Geneva, a statement was made on behalf of Every Casualty Counts and Insight, a member of the international Casualty Recorders Network, during the interactive dialogue with the Commission of Inquiry on Syria.
Our statement can be read in full, downloaded or watched below.
Item 4: Interactive dialogue with the Commission of Inquiry on Syria
Human Rights Council 57th Regular Session
This statement is made on behalf of Every Casualty Worldwide and Insight, a member of the international Casualty Recorders Network.
From March 2011 to June 2024, civil society casualty recorders have documented the killing of at least 231,495 civilians in Syria. This includes the deaths of 4,289 Syrian civilians, including 694 children and 681 women, documented by Insight since 2022.
There is no official record of these victims, as the Syrian government – which is responsible for the majority of these deaths – does not record these fatalities as victims of war or torture. Instead, they are often registered as ordinary deaths.
Surviving family members are afraid to seek documentation of their loved one’s death at the hands of the Syrian regime, or its Russian and Iranian allies, because they risk becoming suspected regime enemies themselves, leading to further persecution. Relatives of victims who died in government custody or under torture often receive notification of the death without any further details, and are denied access to the body. 125,000 persons remain missing across the country, their fate unaccounted for.
These obstacles create a huge challenge to creating an accurate record of all those killed in the Syrian conflict to date, and a source of immense distress to the bereaved.
We urge the Commission and OHCHR to continue their efforts to identify and document casualties to the fullest extent of their mandate and resources. We also urge all member states to support international efforts to accurately document the dead and missing, including the newly established Independent Institution on Missing Persons in Syria.
