School uniforms belonging to children hung on the door, academic workbooks rested on desks, and toys covered in dust remained on the floor at Rania’s apartment in Syria. Naila Al-Abbasi discovered this scene nearly 12 years after her sister and her six children were detained and placed in the regime’s secretive prison network.
Al-Abbasi traveled from Saudi Arabia to visit the home in Dummar Project, an affluent neighborhood in Damascus, on Feb. 25.
She described the house as filled with a somber atmosphere and a strong scent of death. Dust covered every corner, and bird carcasses lay scattered on the floor.
The residence was once a lively place for the six children: Dima, 13; Entisar, 12; Najah, 11; Alaa, 8; Ahmed, 6; and Layan, 1.
Hassan Al-Abbasi, Rania’s brother, has been tirelessly seeking information about their whereabouts for years. Despite his efforts following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government, no news about the family has surfaced since March 2013.
Hassan expressed the immense difficulty of the situation, emphasizing the pain of entering the home after 12 years.
Children Potentially Moved to Orphanages
Rania Al-Abbasi’s husband, Abdul Rahman Yasin, was arrested by Assad’s military intelligence on March 9, 2013, followed by the detention of Rania, their children, and their secretary two days later.
The parents were accused of providing humanitarian aid during the Syrian revolution that began in 2011, leading to the family’s disappearance.
Hassan suspects that the children may have stayed with Rania in detention before potentially being relocated to orphanages or care facilities, where their identities were possibly erased.
The vanishing of entire families is among the brutal acts committed during Assad’s reign.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights had previously received reports about this practice, implicating institutions like SOS Children’s Villages Syria.
In a statement to CBC News on Feb. 25, the organization acknowledged the concerns and the lack of proper documentation regarding children placed in care facilities during the war.
Systematic Arrests of Children and Families
Hassan revealed that the family had paid significant sums to prison officials and operatives for information on Rania and her family, only to receive unverifiable details each time.
He recounted how the paternal aunt of the children was detained for three months after attempting to secure their release shortly after their arrest.
Hassan mentioned hiring a lawyer to investigate orphanages in 2022 due to suspicions of children being placed by the regime, but this effort did not yield any answers.
