On this International Day, commemorated annually by the global community on 30 August, the Cedar Centre for Legal Studies remembers the suffering of thousands of victims who were forcibly disappeared and whose traces remain hidden, leaving behind families tormented by the agony of waiting and deprived of their most basic rights to truth and justice. Enforced disappearance remains one of the gravest violations of human dignity. It is a crime that does not expire under international law and constitutes a blatant breach of several international treaties and conventions, most notably:

1. The International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (2006), which guarantees the right of victims and their families to truth, justice, and reparation.
2. The Convention Against Torture (1984), which is closely linked to enforced disappearance, as it is often accompanied by acts of torture and ill-treatment.
3. Principles of International Humanitarian Law, which emphasize the protection of civilians during armed conflicts.

The Lebanese Civil War left a deep wound in the nation’s memory. The file of the missing and forcibly disappeared during that period remains unresolved to this day, with hundreds of families enduring daily tragedy as they await the truth about their loved ones. The continued neglect of this issue and the absence of clear answers for the victims’ families only deepen the pain and underscore the urgent need to confront this crime with seriousness and transparency.

In response, the Cedar Centre for Legal Studies works on this file through legal research, follow-ups, advocacy campaigns, and pushing for the activation of the National Commission for the Missing and Forcibly Disappeared, while highlighting the families’ right to truth and justice. Furthermore, it has documented several recent cases of enforced disappearance, which, under Article 37 of Law 105/2018, constitute crimes that warrant prosecution and accountability.

Enforced disappearance is not merely a relic of the past—it is a crime that continues in various forms to this day. The most recent case is that of poet Abdulrahman Youssef Al-Qaradawi, who was deported to the United Arab Emirates over 200 days ago, and whose fate remains unknown. The absence of official information regarding his whereabouts or conditions of detention places his case within the framework of enforced disappearance and leaves his family in a spiral of anxiety and suffering.

A similar case is that of Manal Al-Qassem, a young Syrian woman born in 2002, who entered Lebanon irregularly in April 2024 and was arrested at a checkpoint in Chtaura.  While her companions were released, she remained in detention due to carrying an identity card issued by the Azaz City Council. She was then unlawfully deported by the Lebanese authorities to Syria, where all contact with her was lost in May 2024, and it is believed that she was held in Sednaya prison. Despite the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, her fate remains unknown.

On this occasion, we at the Cedar Centre for Legal Studies affirm the following:

1. The commitment of Lebanese and international authorities to international conventions, and the urgent need to ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.
2. The immediate disclosure of the fate of all missing and forcibly disappeared persons in Lebanon and worldwide, including victims of the Lebanese Civil War and recent cases.
3. Empowering victims’ families with their inalienable rights to truth, justice, and reparation.
4. Activating the role of the National Commission for the Missing and Forcibly Disappeared in Lebanon, ensuring its independence and resources to pursue this humanitarian file.

Defending the victims of enforced disappearance is a battle for dignity, justice, and human rights. The role of international conventions and mechanisms can only be fulfilled through their implementation at the national and practical level. On this day, the Cedar Centre for Legal Studies renews its commitment to continued legal and human rights work and advocacy, so that no victim remains lost to fate, and to establish a Lebanon that respects truth and justice.

We affirm that confronting this crime requires serious political will and comprehensive accountability for all those who committed or were involved in it. We remain committed to working until truth is uncovered, justice is achieved for the victims and their families, the culture of impunity is ended, and a society that respects human dignity is built.