Today, with the support of the UN, one of these former prisoners, the defender of Syrian human rights Riyad Avlar, works to discover what has happened to those who are not doing – and to seek justice for disappearance.

He remembers the amazed response of a mother when he told her that his son had died in detention: “I accept that, but I haven’t lost hope. One day, my son will enter and meet you here. “”

His words reflect the resilience of families who continue to seek truth and justice after years of uncertainty, insists that Riyadh, who was imprisoned for more than two decades after being arrested in 1996 at the age of 19.

Document the absence, to preserve the truth

For Riyadh, his fight for justice did not end with his release in 2017.

Before his appointment at Independent UN institution on people who have disappeared in SyriaThe first advisory advice, Riyadh channeled his experience to support the survivors of detention and their families through the Association of Prisoners and the disappearance of the Sednaya prison (ADMSP).

The founders of the association include former prisoners like Riyadh and have become a crucial source of documentation, support and advocacy.

“Our mission”, he explains, “consists in empowering survivors and families of disappearance to be central actors of transitional justice, responsibility and repairs in Syria.”

Since its creation, ADMSP has created two databases: the first recordings of testimonies from Sednaya survivors and, since 2021, detention centers across Syria.

These testimonies identify abuse authors, the last observations of prisoners and the models of violations. The second database collects information from families looking for relatives, often providing them with the first reliable confirmation of what happened.

An approach to do non-lamb

“Each interview is conducted face to face, with particular attention to avoid re-traumatization”, ” Explains Riyadh. In addition to the documentation, the association manages a center offering psychotherapy, physiotherapy and group therapy for survivors and families facing the trauma of disappearance. He also protects families from being extorted by people selling lies to the fate of their missing parents by helping them to check what they were told.

Constant fear of execution

Riyadh’s dramatic history began when he left his rural village in Türkiye to continue his studies in Syria. Arrested in 1996 by the Assad regime and even 20 years old, he was then detained from 15 years. His family learned that he was alive thanks to the intervention of a friend’s mother.

During his detention, Riyad has endured lonely isolation, torture and almost total isolation. “I saw my brother twice, for 15 minutes each, in more than two decades,” he recalls. “When I was released, my mother just held me and inspired me; She wanted to remember the smell of her son. Later, when my son was a year and a half, I finally understood why my mother clung to me like that. »»

Developed a fair trial and accused of accusations manufactured, Riyadh experienced a constant fear of execution. These experiences, he says, are what pushes him to guarantee that the voices of survivors shape the continuation of responsibility and justice.

Everyone suffers in their own way

In addition to the horrors inflicted on the disappearance of Syria, another common denominator is the anxiety that torments their families. Mothers live for unanswered years, while wives and children face stigma, harassment and exile, explains Riyadh.

“Each family member suffers differently,” he says. “But what unites them is the right to know. »»

A world mandate for justice

Today, Riyadh is sits on the advisory council of the Independent institution on people who have disappeared in SyriaEstablished in 2023 by the General Assembly of the United Nations to approach one of the most painful inheritances of the conflict.

Selected among more than 250 candidates, the board of directors of 11 members includes representatives of the families of the victims, Syrian civil society and international experts. It is mandated to clarify the fate of missing families, support families and contribute to responsibility.

According to the NGO Syrian Network for Human Rights, At least 181,312 individuals remain arbitrarily or disappear, including 5,332 children and 9 201 women.

“The task is immense,” says Riyadh New News, of his Home in Turkïye. “But with cooperation between Syrian organizations and the international community, the institution can establish clear protocols for notification, psychological support and recognition of disappeared.”

A heavy responsibility

To the survivors of detention, Riyadh sends a message of solidarity: “We have to raise our voices and demand justice – not revenge – but responsibility and repairs. We are alive, and it is a responsibility. ”

His message is also that of survival. “When I was arrested, the phones were the elders with a push button. And when I got out, I saw phones that you just touch with your finger … Life had changed so much, I was shocked. The village I had left behind was very underdeveloped, but now they had paved roads, people had cars; There were taps of water inside the houses, even a boarding system.

“Little by little, I adapted myself. I decided that I had to go ahead, because after such a long absence-20 years-it was as if someone had frozen me in a freezer and then suddenly, I was released in a science fiction film. »»

He stresses that the families of the missing must never be left unanswered, and each Syrian family has the right to know the fate of their loved ones, to put them to rest with dignity and to start the healing process.

And if the truth is the cornerstone of the future of Syria, the same goes for transitional justice, maintains Riyad, with survivors and families playing a central role in the formation of what comes next.

“” Each elderly has the right to old“Said one of the main organizers of International Elderly DayArjanita Elezaj.

“” These are not privileges, they are human rights“, She told a meeting at the UN headquarters to commemorate the day, where key questions such as improving opportunities for the elderly participate in civic and cultural life have been debated, as well as health and housing care.

This year’s theme has stressed that the elderly must be designed to play an active role in the motivation of local and global action, aimed at amplifying their voice in the development of policies and an effort to create more inclusive societies.

“The elderly have a life of experiences lived, residence and service with them,” said Elezaj. “It is the architects of communities, movements and institutions that continue to guide us today. However, too often, their voices are unknown. ”

The world is aging

The number of people aged 60 or over has doubled to reach 1.2 billion in the past three decades and is expected to reach 2.1 billion by 2050According to a mission statement by the organizers of the event in New York.

With the increase in world life expectancy, the number of people aged 80 and over is expected to exceed the number of infants by mid-2030.

“We must respond with foresight and action. Secretary General António Guterres in his message for the day.

“Emergency” for an inclusive movement

With a smile and an anecdote, Professor and Dean Emerita of Columbia University School of Social Work, Jeanette Takamura, reminded the public that aging is a universal phenomenon.

“When I spent the last time on this podium, my hair was dark brown and I was one more thumb,” she said.

Now, 26 years later, “I am obviously a shorter thumb with silver hair,” she added.

In her speech, she stressed “the urgency of awareness and increased multigenerational inclusion” to propel a global social movement including and inclusive.

She pointed out that social movements have the most impact when they embrace a wide spectrum and highlighted the need for younger and older generations to learn from others.

“The bases of a social movement were laid down by all the past years,” she said.

“” Let’s exercise wisdom, let’s be agents of social change and expand our tent to welcome the multiple generations of younger people we need as partners and co-creators.“”

Here is what you need to know about the new force of deleting gangs (GSF).

What is the GSF?

The force of removal of gangs (GSF) in Haiti is a multinational mission newly authorized by the UN Security advice.

With a 12 -month term, the force of 5,550 people will operate alongside the Haitian authorities to neutralize gangs, secure infrastructure and support humanitarian access.

Its main objective is to protect vulnerable populations from the escalation of violence and prevent the movement that inevitably causes.

The resolution of the Security Council has been co-produced by Panama and the United States and reflects broad international support for the multidimensional crisis which has deepened in Haiti in recent years.

What are the objectives of the new force?

Its fundamental objectives include carrying out intelligence operations to dismantle armed gangs, securing critical infrastructure and humanitarian insurance, while protecting the population.

The GSF will work in close collaboration with the Haitian authorities, in particular the national police in order to put Haiti able to assume responsibility for its own security.

The mission also aims to strengthen national institutions and to facilitate the conditions of long -term peace and development. An assistance office of the United Nations will be created to provide logistical and operational support.

What is the GSF replacing?

The gang suppression force (GSF) replaces the multinational security support mission (MSS) in Haiti, marking a change in strategy.

The MSS, led by Kenya, focused on the support of the Haitian national police with limited staff and resources. It was launched in October 2023 with the first contingent of the arrival in June the following year. He remained underfunded and never deployed the compulsory force of 2,500 people.

The GSF will be a greater and more robust force with a wider mandate.

Why is it necessary?

A force is urgent to remove the gangs in Haiti due to an unprecedented security situation.

Armed groups have now checked up to 90% of the capital of Haiti, Port-au-Prince, blocking access roads, attacking infrastructure and terrorizing civilians with ransom, rape and murders.

More than 5,600 people were killed only in 2024 only.

Since March 2025, violence has extended into previously intact areas of the country outside the capital, in particular the Articonites and Central departments where 92,000 and 147,000 people have been moved respectively.

In total, more than 1.3 million people have been moved and essential services such as health care and food distribution has collapsed.

The Haitian national police do not have the capacity to respond effectively.

Why is Haiti unable to deal with this problem alone?

Haiti cannot fight against his gang crisis due to the collapse of public institutions, the subressource police and overwhelming violence.

The gangs create criminal governance, exploit children and deal with weapons as well as drugs.

The UN has said on numerous occasions that impunity, corruption and institutional collapse fuel Haiti’s insecurity.

Will the GSF solve Haiti’s problems?

UN officials have stressed that security alone cannot resolve Haiti’s bustle.

The country faces several crises; Humanitarian needs, caused both by insecurity and natural disasters such as earthquakes, increase, the economy is in free fall, poverty and underdevelopment is rigorous and there has not been an elected government since the assassination of President Jenel Moise in 2021.

UN member states have stressed that the GSF must be part of a broader strategy, including governance reform, humanitarian aid and long -term development.

In short, the GSF is a necessary but insufficient measure-international support must go beyond security to really help Haiti to recover.

When will the GSF start operations in Haiti?

The GSF should start operations following the expiration of the MSS mandate on October 2, 2025, although it takes time to strengthen new force to the target of 5,500 security staff plus 50 civilian employees and to establish the United Nations office to support it.

It is still not clear which countries will provide staff. The resolution of the Security Council stipulates that the force will be financed mainly by voluntary contributions from the Member States of the United Nations.