No news from Omama's father, who disappeared in Syria eight years ago

Istanbul, Mar 13 (EFE / EPA) .- (Camera: Erdem Sahin) On September 15, 2013, Omama's father accompanied her to look for a university and said goodbye with the promise of picking her up the next day. He never saw him again.

FOOTAGE OF OMAMA ABDEL HADY, SYRIAN ACTIVIST WHOSE FATHER IS MISSING, WALKING THROUGH THE STREETS OF ISTANBUL

SOUNDBITES OF OMAMA IN ARABIC

TRANSLATION

00:01 to 01:03

In September 2013, my father, who was a driver, went to downtown Damascus and never came back. The road he used to take had no government checkpoints, so the most logical explanation was that he was arrested. From that moment we never heard from him.

We tried to find out. We tried to ask the detainees who had been released if they had seen Dad (Baba), if anyone heard him or his name, but unfortunately we did not receive any news and so far we do not know what happened to him.

Papi (Baba) had no specific activity (he was not an activist) he was a driver and he was older, in his 70s, so he was not an activist. But he has been forcibly disappeared and we know nothing about his whereabouts.

01:03 to 01:39

Unfortunately, when a person is detained by this regime, we cannot be in contact with them, we cannot have news about them, what is the person's situation, if they are injured, if they need medication, if they are hungry, if they are cold. Unfortunately, you cannot have any information about the person. In reality, this regime does not recognize that it arrests, imprisons people, tortures them or makes them disappear. So no, we have not managed to obtain any information and we have not had contact (with the regime).

01:43 to 02:26

In 2013 After the disappearance of my father, the situation in our town was a bit difficult, there were strikes, then displacement came (…). Let's say it was basically not safe for us to stay in that place, so we were forced to go to Jordam. We were there for five years and in 2016 we moved to Turkey as it was better for us and now we are in Istanbul.

02:26 to 02:49

What we (myself and other families) want is to know what happened to our relatives, whether they are detained by the regime or by all other parties, and that the regime allows aid to the detainees and from local organizations, from medical items as well.

02:49 to 02:54

The regime is making these people disappear for no reason.

02:54 to 03:17

The regime has no right to hide our loved ones. We demand his release and know his whereabouts, and prosecute anyone responsible for his disappearance, torture or detention of our loved ones.