On the International Day of the Disappeared, observed on August 30, Ali Abu Dehn, head of the Association of Lebanese Detainees in Syrian Prisons, accused the Lebanese state of neglecting the issue.
In an interview with “Voice of Lebanon” radio on Thursday, Abu Dehn pointed out that the state should have resorted to international courts and the United Nations to demand the release of its detainees.
“The issue of detainees is paramount,” he said. “Sixteen mothers have died waiting for their sons who remain detained in Syrian prisons.”
Wadad Halawani, head of the Committee of the Missing and Kidnapped, emphasized, “We will continue to demand the return of the missing as long as we have irresponsible officials. Instead of protecting the victims, the state protects the perpetrators.”
She noted that there have been no new developments regarding the detainees and that the issue “will not die or be forgotten.”
“The International Committee of the Red Cross mission in Lebanon is a key ally and supporter of the cause of the kidnapped and forcibly disappeared and has taken on the role that the Lebanese state should have fulfilled,” she added.
