The Syrian Ministry of Interior has detained two former ministers of social affairs—Kinda al-Shammat and Rima al- Qadri—alongside several female employees working in care institutions, as part of an official investigation into the fate of children who were detained or forcibly disappeared in regime prisons, and subsequently transferred to orphanages without their families’ knowledge.
The Interior Ministry’s media office confirmed to Enab Baladi on July 6 that the arrests were based on preliminary findings and testimonies provided by the families of detainees and the disappeared. The information was gathered jointly by the Ministries of Interior and Social Affairs following the formation of a specialized investigative committee to look into the case.
This marks the first time that officials at the ministerial level have been detained since the fall of the Assad regime on December 8, 2024.
Kinda al-Shammat served as Minister of Social Affairs from February 2013 to August 2015, followed by Rima Qadri, who held the position until August 2020.
Among the arrested care institution workers are Nada al-Ghabra from the “Lahen al-Hayat” (Life’s Melody) complex, Lama al-Sawwaf, Fidaa al-Fendi, and Lama al-Baba.
The arrests were ordered by the Public Prosecutor in Damascus at the request of the committee investigating the fate of the children of detainees and forcibly disappeared persons. The detainees were accused of failing to cooperate with families of missing children, withholding information, and concealing sensitive files related to their fate.
The detained officials are accused of falsifying documents to transfer between 300 and 500 children of detainees held in Assad regime prisons to orphanages in Damascus, and from there to the homes of military officers and private residences.
Committee spokesperson Samer Qorbi told the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) that investigations revealed significant administrative gaps in some care centers. He noted the existence of documents indicating that children previously held in detention were transferred to government-affiliated orphanages without legal procedures or notifying their families. Qorbi emphasized that the committee views these violations as criminal in nature and is working to expand the investigation to uncover the responsible network.
He added that the committee is working to identify the number of children transferred from detention centers to care homes, verify their identities and current whereabouts, and determine the fate of those forcibly disappeared.
The committee has begun fieldwork, including collecting testimonies from families, particularly in areas where forced disappearances were reported over the past years.
It includes representatives from the Ministries of Interior, Justice, and Religious Endowments, in addition to members of civil society organizations and families of the missing, in order to facilitate the exchange of information and coordinate legal and logistical efforts.
In January, the Ministry of Social Affairs within the interim government issued a circular urging families of missing children to visit its directorates across provinces to provide testimonies and information that could aid in ongoing investigations. This followed the ministry’s announcement of the discovery of security branch documents indicating that detained children had been transferred to orphanages without the knowledge of their families.
This development is considered an unprecedented step in the case of the forcibly disappeared, amid growing calls from rights groups for accountability and transparency.
“Interior Ministry” Confirms Arrest of Two Former Ministers to Enab Baladi Enab Baladi.
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