Human Rights Commissioner on the anniversary of the abduction of Razan Zaitouneh and her colleagues in Douma, Syria

On 9 December 2013, the Syrian lawyer and human rights defender Razan Zaitouneh and her colleagues Wa’el Hamada, Samira Khalil and Nazem Hamadi were abducted in Douma, a suburb of Damascus. Their whereabouts remain unknown to this day.

Despite a plea from the families of the abducted activists in April this year, the parties to the conflict have unfortunately not done anything so far to help shed light on the case. Razan Zaitouneh and her colleagues had campaigned for many years for the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms in Syria. They are symbols of peaceful resistance against oppression and violence who documented human rights abuses and war crimes by all parties to the conflict in Syria in their work.

I call on the relevant actors and parties to the conflict to do everything in their power to ensure the safety of the four abducted activists and to facilitate their release.