One Syrian Father’s Journey to Find His Son
wsj-logo
WSJ
Mar 26, 2025 10:55 AM IST
The Journal joins a father’s 12-year search for clues about the fate of his missing son, who disappeared within Syria’s prison system during Assad’s regime.
“Finding Shadi” follows the story of Suleiman al-Youssef, a father in Damascus, as he searches for his missing son, Shadi, who disappeared into Syria’s prison system more than a decade ago.
One Syrian Father’s Journey to Find His Son PREMIUM
One Syrian Father’s Journey to Find His Son
Shadi was 25 years old when he was arrested at a checkpoint in 2013. His family said he hadn’t been politically active, but like many young men during the country’s uprising, he was taken by security forces without explanation and never heard from again. For years, Shadi’s family attempted to trace his whereabouts in the vast network of secret detention sites maintained by the oppressive Assad regime.
On Dec. 8, 2024, Damascus was liberated and Bashar al-Assad’s regime overthrown; the doors of prisons were suddenly opened, allowing prisoners who had been held for years to walk free. Videos of released detainees began circulating online, offering glimpses of hope for families like Suleiman’s, who had no word of their detained loved ones for years. In one of those videos, Sulieman saw a quick glimpse of a gaunt man in a black sweatshirt rushing out of Saydnaya prison.
“When I saw the video, I knew,” Suleiman said. “It’s my son. Even if he was among millions of people, I’d still be able to recognize him.”
We met Suleiman in a hospital in central Damascus just days after the liberation. We followed him as he embarked on a winding and emotionally charged search across the city, trying to retrace the steps of the man in the video by interviewing shopkeepers, bystanders and anyone who might have seen him after his release.
Suleiman’s story is just one of hundreds of thousands like it in Syria. More than 100,000 Syrians remain forcibly disappeared by the Assad regime, according to the Syrian Network for Human Rights. Saydnaya prison, where Suleiman thinks his son may have been held, became internationally known as one of the most brutal and secretive detention sites in the country. Since the start of the Syrian civil war, tens of thousands of detainees are believed to have died in custody from torture, starvation, illness or execution.
As we documented Suleiman’s search, our team did our own investigation. We spent months scouring missing persons groups online, meeting with activists, former detainees and experts on Syria’s prison system to find leads that could identify the man in the video and bring answers to Suleiman’s family.
Suleiman’s personal journey mirrors the experience of so many Syrians trying to trace loved ones in a country long defined by secrecy, trauma and mass incarceration. What began as a search for one man became an exploration of identity and memory as Syria and its citizens attempt to rebuild.
Write to Ben C. Solomon at ben.solomon@wsj.com
Share this article
News
Us News
Up News
Read breaking news, latest updates from US, UK, Pakistan and other countries across the world on topics related to politics,crime, and national affairs.
See More
Read breaking news, latest updates from US, UK, Pakistan and other countries across the world on topics related to politics,crime, and national affairs.
For evolved readers seeking more than just news
Subscribe now to unlock this article and access exclusive content to stay ahead
E-paper | Expert Analysis & Opinion | Geopolitics | Sports | Games
Subscribe Now @1199/year