On May 19, the German-Syrian Foundation for Scientific Research announced the launch of the “Hope Reclaimed” project, an initiative that aims to support efforts to identify missing persons and victims of enforced disappearance in Syria during the era of the ousted regime, using the latest DNA analysis techniques.
The project is grounded in a scientific initiative focused on building national capabilities and transferring expertise to qualified Syrian professionals. Its goals include ensuring the project’s sustainability, long-term independence, and contributing to a more just and transparent future for Syria.
In this context, +963 interviewed Professor Dr. Hani Harb, President of the Hope Reclaimed Foundation and a member of the Board of Directors of the German-Syrian Foundation for Scientific Research. Dr. Harb shared exclusive details about the project’s objectives, the process of identifying missing persons and victims of enforced disappearance during the era of the ousted regime, the scale of the samples to be collected, and why this project holds such sovereign significance.
Could you tell us about the “Hope Reclaimed” project that you began working on with a group of Syrian researchers and scientists regarding the search for victims and remains of missing persons?
The “Hope Reclaimed” project began one day after the fall of the regime. It is both a scientific and humanitarian initiative involving a group of Syrian researchers based both inside and outside the country. Its primary objective is to help uncover the fate of victims of enforced disappearance.
There has been widespread discussion of transitional justice and uncovering missing persons and mass graves, but little attention has been given to the methodologies, mechanisms, and obstacles involved in this process. From this need, the “Hope Reclaimed” project was born. It emerged as a necessity to establish technical frameworks and infrastructure, such as laboratories, computers, and servers, while also empowering and training individuals in Syria to carry out this work.
This project addresses one of the deepest unresolved wounds in Syrian society. It seeks not only to identify remains but also to restore dignity to the families of the missing and contribute meaningfully to the broader pursuit of justice.
How is the mechanism for searching for mass graves, and what is the size of the samples that you will take to uncover missing persons?
There is information indicating the existence of approximately 200 mass graves in Syria. Within the scope of this project, our role will be focused on laboratory and technical operations, in collaboration with the Syrian Civil Defence Organisation, known as the “White Helmets.” This organisation has the capabilities and advanced technology required to detect mass graves.
As for the number of samples, it is difficult to predict. Each mass grave will be professionally excavated and examined by a specialised team to determine precisely how many bodies are present. In many cases, the number of samples taken could be double the number of bodies found, significantly increasing the scope of work in the coming period.
Additionally, a mobile laboratory will be deployed to determine the most effective methods for isolating DNA samples.
Who are the funding and participating entities in this project? Do you think that the project will have a real benefit in uncovering hundreds of thousands of missing people?
Currently, there are no funding bodies supporting the project. This is a sovereign initiative, which means that in order to secure funding, we require approval, authorisation, and support from the Syrian government. Once that authorisation is granted, we would be able to collaborate with various international partners, including the governments of Germany, France, Denmark, and the United Kingdom.
We have already engaged in discussions with all of these governments regarding the project. There are also other public and private institutions with which we could potentially work in this context.
There is absolutely real potential for the project to uncover the fate of hundreds of thousands of missing persons. This effort is vital not only for honouring the victims but also for supporting transitional justice and holding perpetrators accountable. It also has important legal implications, such as issuing official death certificates.
We are not claiming to have magical solutions, but we do believe that a systematic and scientific approach, if initiated now, can make a tangible difference and serve as the foundation for a long-term national project. The ultimate goal is to uncover the fate of the missing. We are not promising to reveal the fate of every individual immediately, but we are committed to providing the right tools, maintaining scientific independence, and prioritising the transfer of expertise at the core of these efforts.
Is there coordination with the relevant institutions in the Syrian government? Were you provided with facilities to work appropriately, and what are these facilities?
We are in constant and daily communication with official government agencies, particularly with Mr. Muhammad Reda al-Jalkhi, Director of the National Authority for Missing Persons. Our objective is to establish alignment between the vision we are presenting through this project and the priorities of the Syrian government, while also engaging with the families of the victims and the Independent Mechanism for Missing Persons Affairs. Our role is to function as the technical team supporting this initiative.
Does the project help move transitional justice forward and build a national path for justice and reconciliation?
Certainly, the project plays a critical role, especially through the process of identifying victims, which contributes directly to achieving civil peace and providing reassurance to many Syrians. All of this work is being conducted under the oversight of the Syrian government and the Ministry of Justice. This ensures that the identification chain and the associated evidence remain preserved within the relevant state institutions. Consequently, lawyers or public prosecutors who specialise in transitional justice will be able to use this data to pursue legal action against war criminals in the future.
One of the aforementioned goals of the project is to protect the independence of Syrian decision-making. How is that?
Protecting the independence of Syrian decision-making is essential. The project includes storing both the data and the DNA samples related to missing persons within Syria itself, as well as information pertaining to the families of victims. This is a massive undertaking that involves collecting one million samples, roughly equivalent to 5 percent of Syria’s population.
What I am referring to here is a form of national wealth. This initiative could serve as the foundation for a Syrian genetic fingerprint database. Moreover, this data could be utilised in the future to detect genetic and oncological diseases. The laboratories established under this project will form a vital part of the country’s infrastructure, and will later be made available to the Ministries of Interior, Justice, Higher Education, and Health for use in various fields. The computing systems developed as part of the “Hope Reclaimed” project will also be transferred upon completion to the Ministry of Communications and Technology.
There are many international examples of missing persons investigations that did not meet expectations. In Cyprus, for instance, after 30 years of conflict, only 40 victims’ samples were recovered and returned. In Bosnia, approximately 70 percent of those killed in the war were identified after 35 years, largely due to a lack of serious national commitment to uncovering the victims. This stands in contrast to countries like Argentina and Guatemala, which made decisive national efforts in this regard.
We reject the use of the missing persons file as a political tool in the hands of any party. For that reason, this project is being implemented through the “BOT” model—Build, Operate, Transfer. It begins with capacity building, the establishment of laboratories, and comprehensive training. These will then be handed over to qualified Syrian personnel capable of carrying the work forward independently.
The goal is for these highly sensitive files to be managed exclusively by Syrian experts within responsible and transparent national institutions that respond to the people’s needs, not to political pressure or manipulation.
