“Never has a letter held such hope and expectation”

After years of searching for answers, 1001 Syrian families have come together to write to the US Government asking for their help to find their sons, daughters, husbands, brothers and sisters who were kidnapped by ISIS when the extremist group had control over a third of Syria.

1,001 families of those kidnapped by ISIS ask for assistance from the United States

When the U.S. and its allies defeated the terrorist group in March 2019, we hoped that information about our family members would follow. But we still haven’t heard about any strategies or attempts to find or return those who were abducted.

New map shows international effort needed to find the missing

Map of former ISIS prisons and mass graves in Syria shows the huge scale of the search for the people kidnapped by ISIS.

My Life Under ISIS: a story of terror and resistance

My city in Syria was taken over by ISIS in 2014. After my brother was kidnapped, I decided to become an undercover citizen journalist and risked my life to tell the world about the crimes ISIS was committing.

I escaped Raqqa after I was personally targeted by ISIS

“My neighbours were the ones who saved me. They came in because they heard the noise, and told me to climb out onto the roof to escape.”

Maisa and Samar’s story

Maisa’s sister Samar was kidnapped by ISIS in 2013. Her family still don’t know what happened to her. When victory was declared over ISIS, efforts to find the kidnapped stopped. But it’s not an option for families to stop their search.

Syrian Democratic Forces issue general amnesty to detained ISIS fighters

Starting on October 15, the SDF released 631 detainees from Alaya Prison and 289 internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Al-Hol. Families of Syrians disappeared by ISIS fear that vital information is being lost.

Yasmin and Bashar’s story

I’m from the city of Mohassan in Deir Ezzour, which we call ‘the village’, and that is how it remains in my eyes. Before we heard about ISIS and before they announced the Caliphate. Today all I want is help to find answers about Bashar and over 8300 Syrians who were kidnapped by ISIS.

Press release: New campaign reveals mass graves continue to be discovered in northeast Syria

Twenty-eight mass graves have been discovered since the territorial defeat of ISIS in northeast Syria three years ago. Five mass graves have been found this year alone with many more expected to be uncovered.

Investigating mass graves in northeast Syria

Nobody will have more information about missing persons by ISIS than ISIS members themselves. But to our knowledge none of them were asked any questions related to detainees, mass graves, executions, locations of detention facilities. Nothing.