A few dozen protesters gathered in Douma, Syria, on Wednesday to demand answers about the fate of four prominent activists abducted over a decade ago.
The demonstrators urged the country’s new Islamist-led rulers, who seized power last month, to launch an investigation. The missing activists—Samira Khalil, Razan Zaitouneh, her husband Wael Hamadeh, and Nazem Hammadi—were abducted on 9 December 2013, when armed men stormed the Violations Documentation Center in the then-rebel-held Douma. Since their disappearance, there has been no evidence of their fate or confirmation of their deaths.
Zaitouneh, a renowned human rights activist, gained international acclaim for her work documenting abuses committed by both Assad’s government and rebel factions. Her efforts earned her the International Women of Courage Award, presented by Michelle Obama in 2013. Protests have erupted across the country since Assad’s ousting, with demonstrators demanding justice and accountability for the thousands forcibly disappeared during his rule.